Boardman 6th-grader headed to national spelling bee

By AMANDA TONOLI

atonoli@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The 86th Vindicator Spelling BEE

Video

Santino Slipkovich may have predicted his future as valedictorian by correctly spelling “valedictorian,” winning the title of The Vindicator 86th Annual Regional Spelling Bee champion.

After 20 rounds, Santino said he was glad the bee was over.

“It’s a good feeling,” he said.

His parents, Lisa and Mark Slipkovich, also were glad.

“Usually, he wrestles … and it was like watching a wrestling match,” Mark Slip-kovich said. “I didn’t expect it to be that nerve-racking.”

Lisa Slipkovich said the two of them are very proud of Santino.

“He didn’t even tell us about his school spelling bee, and we were surprised when he won that,” she said. “We’re just so happy for him.”

Santino battled for a number of rounds with runner-up Cooper

Selley of Western Reserve Middle School.

Abigail McCormack of Springfield Intermediate School placed third.

The Vindicator Regional Spelling Bee has been a community tradition since 1934.

Forty-seven spellers from Mahoning County and parts of Trumbull County qualified for Saturday’s bee, which includes participants from public, charter, private and home schools.

Two of the entrants were absent and didn’t participate.

Twenty-nine spellers remained after the first round.

Words missed included “cliques,” “vexation” and “gangrene.’

The second round eliminated nine more spellers, leaving 20 to continue competing.

Rounds three and four took four students total with the words “alderman,” “hundredth,” “cushy” and “pretzel.”

The fifth round eliminated seven spellers with words including “pergola,” “decathlon” and “poplin.”

Round six took six spellers, leading to a special round of competing for third place, eventually taken by Abigail.

Santino and Cooper went the remainder of the rounds until Cooper misspelled “Andes,” giving Santino the chance to pull ahead and correctly spell it and the champion word, “valedictorian.”

As the winner, Santino moves on to the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., later this spring.

The trip, including hotel and travel accommodations, tours, meals and incidental expenses for Santino and an adult escort are paid by The Vindicator.

Besides the trophy, Santino received a gift card from Rotary Club of Youngstown; a gift card from Downtown Kiwanis Club; a one-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium, courtesy of Scripps; the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award; Webster’s Third New International Dictionary; and flowers from Burkland Flowers of Youngstown.

Runner-up status earned Cooper a Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary; a

T-shirt and school champion certificate from The Vindicator; a second-place trophy; and a gift card from Downtown Kiwanis.

Abigail’s third-place prizes include a trophy, dictionary, T-shirt and certificate.

Bee judges were the Rev. Lewis Macklin of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church; Mary Kay Earnhart, a retired teacher; and Carol Ryan, office manager at St. Christine Parish.