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Rockton-Roscoe News: Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025

Spelling bee, finding a grenade, retirement strategies

Michael McGinnis

Mar 22, 2025 — 5 min read

The spelling bee champion of South Beloit Junior High School poses for a framed photo.

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"There's not much to say." That's because the hand grenade that a man brought to the Roscoe police station Thursday afternoon didn't explode. Our phone interview with Sgt. Robert Lewis resulted in the most complete story on the incident so far.
After a "prolonged and impressive face-off for first place," Ananya Joshi of Roscoe Middle School came in second in the 2025 Regional Spelling Bee at Harlem High School. Julia Kurien from Thurgood Marshall School took first. In 2024 it was Julia who was second and Ananya was the one who went to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington DC. But Ananya still has another year of eligibility, in the footsteps of her older sister Avani Joshi. Other champion spellers this year included Elijah Houston of Stephen Mack, Oliver Lingen of Kinnikinnick, and Juba Fasalojo of Willowbrook. There were more from our area but we didn't get their names!
Autumn Mohring of Rockton, a video production student at Purdue University, was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, which is actually the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society in America. (Phi Beta Kappa is more famous but it doesn't cover all majors).

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