The recently formed student group Fundamental Firsts held its first spelling bee on Monday night to raise awareness about the group. The on-campus spelling bee attracted seven contestants.

Senior Ashlee Reece founded Fundamental Firsts last semester as an organization that reaches out to first-generation and non-traditional college students.

As a first-generation college student, Reece said she often encountered academic groups on campus that focused too strongly on GPAs and wanted a program that pertained to her needs in particular.

With the help of Student Support Services director Carol Howald, who acts as a staff adviser of the group, Fundamental Firsts was born, Reece said. The organization’s goal is to bring together non-traditional college students and address their academic and social needs, as well as provide opportunities for the students to learn and bond.

“A non-traditional college student is defined how the student would like to define it,” Reece said. “Examples often include students with children, international students or students with disabilities.”

Having a spelling bee makes Fundamental Firsts unique, Reece said.

“(A spelling bee) is something that hasn’t been done before — it’s something to get people excited,” Reece said.

Reece said “Akeelah and the Bee” helped spark this idea. She said she wishes she had been able to participate in spelling bees in middle school.

“Fundamental Firsts looks to promote activities where students are actively engaged in their academic success — where there is an active component, they are making bonds and getting to know students like themselves,” Reece said.

The format of Monday’s spelling bee was comparable to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Reece said. Each contestant received one word in each round, and if the word was spelled correctly, he or she advanced to the next round. The only difference was that spellers in the Fundamental Firsts bee received one “freebie.” If they misspelled one word, they were allowed to stay in the bee. If a speller missed two words, they were then eliminated.

Freshman Alexis Williams won the bee after correctly spelling “audacious.”

Williams said after the bee she was pleased with her experience.

“It was interesting — I like fun stuff like this,” Williams said. “I was in one (a spelling bee) in middle school once, and I kind of lost, so it’s kind of redemption.”

Williams’ grand prize was a $250 textbook scholarship to the MU Bookstore. Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies Jim Spain, who works closely with Fundamental Firsts, donated the scholarship, Reece said.

The second-place winner, senior Tania Mantle, said the spelling bee was a positive experience overall.

“Initially it was a little nerve-racking, especially when it was getting close to the end and when people were getting eliminated,” Mantle said.

Mantle received $150 from the Residence Halls Association.