School spelling champions battle for county title
Karen Peterson
Lake County Deputy Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Hall explains the rules before the official first spelling round starts.
Karen Peterson
Paley Goodwin and Aaliyah Decker battle it out for the win with one round left to go in the county spelling bee. Decker went on to win the bee upon correctly spelling the word “enumerated.”
Karen Peterson
Guinevere Contreras, center, waits behind Davien Adams to spell a word at the microphone, both students took third place, and Contreras won the Alternate title.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
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Forty-eight of the best spellers in Lake County were invited to compete at the 52nd Lake County Spelling Bee on Tues., Feb. 21, at the Ronan Performing Arts Center.
Students in grades five through eight took their seats on the stage to battle it out one letter at a time for a chance to go to the state competition.
Lake County Deputy Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Hall opened the event and helped organize the spellers on stage. She said she was grateful for everyone’s support including administrators, teachers and families.
The event judges, Paula Holle, Gale Decker, and Michelle Wood, sat at a table on the side of the stage waiting to hold up a sign if a child spelled a word correctly or ring a bell if they were out.
Clerks Kate Ike and Mary McCarley recorded the name of each child and the words they spelled. Ike is retiring this year after helping with the last 24 county spelling bees.
Pronouncer Pat Danley was ready to say each word, its origin and definition. The kids were ready to get started. Many of the students were wiggling in their chairs, tapping their feet, or chewing a fingernail in anticipation. One parent directed her child to breathe before things officially got started, and to help calm their nerves, the kids were able to take a practice round.
After a couple of hours, four students were left on the stage in round five including Paley Goodwin of Arlee, fifth grade; Davien Adams of St. Ignatius, eighth grade; Guinevere Contreras of Charlo, seventh; and Aaliyah Decker of Ronan, seventh.
Each student took a turn spelling words like antidote, derelict and charismatic.
Before the final round, Contreras and Adams were given third place. They competed for the Alternate title in a separate round, which went to Contreras.
In round six, Goodwin and Decker were left standing, and they each spelled another round of words. Goodwin tripped up on the word stratagems, but Decker spelled petrifying correctly, and finished the win with enumerated.
Decker didn’t think she was going to win. “I felt shaky,” she said after the event. She thinks all the books she reads helped her learn to be a good speller.
Goodwin, second place winner, also said reading helped her learn to spell, and she is only in fifth grade so she has as opportunity to practice for even more spelling bees.
Contreras won the third place Alternate trophy.
“I was nervous at the end, and I’m just proud of myself for making it this far,” she said.
The top two winners compete at the state level in Billings with travel expenses provided by the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation, Inc. Ronan Auto Parts provided the trophies for the event.
Participants included: Lucas Delaney, Ronan; Damyen Coates, home school; Levi Sween, Arlee; Cloe Barron, Ronan; Canyon Sargent, St. Ignatius, Payton Coe, Ronan; Ara Nelson, Christian Academy; Grace-Linn Baltz, Ronan; Keana Thomas, St. Ignatius; Jazmyne Ausmus, Christian Academy; Allyson Umphrey, St. Ignatius; Landon Bishop, Ronan; Anvianna Bossy, St. Ignatius; Taleah Hernandez, Polson; Shelby Learn, Valley View; Molly Kate, Charlo; Shelby Smith, Arlee; Zackery Gainan, Ronan; Layla Pretty On Top, Ronan; Brynn Pule, St. Ignatius; Riley Edwards, home school; Alishon Kelly, Ronan; Bennan Andersen, Charlo; Makayla Corum, Ronan; Olivia Trevina, Arlee; John Paca, Ronan; Hunter Murphy, Polson; Paley Goodwin, Arlee; Davien Adams, St. Ignatius; Guinevere Contreras, Charlo; Katiana Rose Coates, home school; and Aaliyah Decker, Ronan.
