PUHI, Kaua'i — Canaan Higa, of Island School, won the Kaua'i Complex Area Spelling Bee last night, and with runner-up Kellie Kurasaki, of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, will represent the island in the 2007 State Spelling Bee in Honolulu.

Seventeen spellers from nine private, public and charter schools on Kaua'i participated in the bee, held at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.

The bee was down to four contestants at Round 5, including Higa, 14, of Wailua; and Kurasaki, 13, of Koloa, as well as Kilauea Elementary School's Dylan Devin and Saint Theresa School's Erin Bovid. It went four more rounds to decide the winner and runner-up.

Other contestants included Issaiah Dela Cruz-Muratake and Chris Milan, of Kekaha Elementary; Tresten Nakashima and Tylor Mangayayam, of 'Ele'ele Elementary; Shanice Grijalva, of Kilauea Elementary; Jannin Hashizume of Chiefess Kamakahelei; Annalissa Hartsell and John Gawaran, of Waimea Canyon Elementary and Middle; Anna Keala Lopez of Kapa'a Middle; James Bilyeu and Joel Bilyeu, of Kanuikapono Public Charter School; Megan Chock, of Island School; and Angelica Tran, of Saint Theresa.

Last night's bee was the first of seven district contests around the Islands. The next contest is the Honolulu district bee tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Sacred Hearts Academy in Kaimuki.

Two winners from each district will compete March 11 in The Honolulu Advertiser's 22nd annual Hawai'i State Spelling Bee.

The bee will be broadcast on OC-16.

The state winner will receive all-expense-paid trips for two to Washington, D.C., to compete in May in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, as well as a $100 U.S. savings bond.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.