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Sixth-grader wins middle school spelling bee
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Village Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade principal Jo Taylor (far left) and fifth- and sixth-grade principal Ron Infante (far right) congratulated 2011 Spelling Bee Champion Max Lee, a sixth-grader, Jan. 13. Grade level champions included, Michael Dudash, fifth grade; Ryan Motolenick, sixth grade; Tyler Stratton, seventh grade and Alaina Fuller, eighth grade. Scott Schneider of WFMJ TV 21, center, emceed the bee.
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Sixth-grader Max Lee, Canfield Village Middle School’s 2011 Spelling Bee Champion, celebrated his win with fifth- and sixth-grade principal Ron Infante. Lee will now will advance to The Vindicator’s Spelling Bee at Youngstown State University March 19.
By ABBY SLANKER
Can you spell ‘astigmatism’? Max Lee can.
The Canfield Village Middle School sixth-grader spelled the word correctly to earn the title of 2011 Spelling Bee Champion during the school’s annual spelling bee Jan. 13.
Forty-nine students, including one from each homeroom class in each grade and last year’s returning champions from each grade, vied for the title.
Grade level champions included Michael Dudash, fifth grade; Ryan Motolenick, sixth grade; Tyler Stratton, seventh grade and Alaina Fuller, eighth grade. Each of the winners were presented with a dictionary.
Lee will advance to The Vindicator’s Spelling Bee at Youngstown State University March 19. The winner of that spelling bee will advance to the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.
Scott Schneider from WFMJ TV 21 was the emcee of the event, which included an audience of families, friends and middle school students and staff.
As the spelling bee rounds advanced, the words became more challenging for the spellers. The first round consisted of such words as quarterback and auburn, while the second round included such words as semester, vintage and counterclockwise. The third round included zigzaggedness, hexagonal and quizzical.
At the beginning of the fourth round, Schneider announced that in the ensuing rounds, the students must rely on their own vocabulary, as opposed to a predetermined list, and their knowledge of spelling rules.
The fourth round consisted of such words as tribulation, epidermis and globalization, and, with six spellers left, the fifth round included such words as nostalgia, unnecessarily and gubernatorial.
After a sixth round of words like espionage, Caribbean and glaucoma, the competition was whittled down to just two students — sixth-grader Lee and eighth-grader Fuller.
“And then there were two,” said Schneider, setting the stage for the final showdown.
In the final round, Fuller correctly spelling ‘pyrite.’ Lee countered with the correct spelling of ‘dissident.’
Fuller misspelled ‘reservoir.’ Lee took advantage of the mistake, correctly spelling ‘misdemeanor’ and ‘astigmatism,’ for the victory.