ATHENS — A Chillicothe student won the regional spelling bee for southern Ohio on Saturday.

Nilla Rajan, of Bishop Flaget School, the Catholic parish school of St. Mary and St. Peter Parishes, won in round nine of the bee by correctly spelling “caprices.”

The Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication Region I bee featured 55 spellers from grades four through eight across southern Ohio, and took place in the Ohio University Baker University Student Center.

Four Lawrence County students were among those who took part.

Emily Neal, an eighth grader at Chesapeake Middle School, who won the county spelling bee earlier this year, was a finalist in the regional bee, making it to round eight.

John Tyler, a sixth grader at Chesapeake Middle, made it to round six. Olivia Kingrey, a Dawson Bryant Elementary fourth grader, and Holli Leep, an eight grader at Fairland Middle, were eliminated in round three.