SHEPHERDSTOWN — The crowd cheered, as Rachel Hally was named the winner of the second annual Adult Spelling Bee at Shepherdstown Public Library on Saturday night. Her winning word was the verb, “exculpate,” meaning “to remove blame from someone,” according to Cambridge Dictionary.

Second place winner Sheila Vertino and third place winner Charity Riley cheerfully acknowledged their defeat, noting they would be back for a rematch, when the spelling bee returns in 2026.

“I feel like I should have done better, but it was a game of editor against librarian — a very close race,” Vertino said.

This was the first time Vertino had participated in a spelling bee since childhood, but she felt ready for it, because of her career path and her hobby as an avid reader.

“I’m one of those people who, y

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