PARIS
— The top spellers in every SAD 17 English class (grades 6 through 8 ) faced
off February 5 for the district spelling bee and it was two Bens who lasted to
the end.
It
took 14 rounds and nearly an hour to whittle the 29 starters down to district
champion Ben Morton and runner-up Ben Coumo.
The
two Bens now move on to the Oxford County Spelling Bee, to be held at 6:30 p.m.
on Tuesday, March 10, at Sacopee Valley Middle School, in Hiram. Third-place Dylan Casey and fourth-place
Lacey Ryder will serve as alternates.
Morton,
Coumo and Ryder all attend Oxford Hills Middle School (OHMS), where the event
was held. Casey holds the standard for
Harrison Elementary School.
Morton,
who lives in Norway viewed his triumph as something of a surprise.
“I
did it last year and I didn’t even win for my class,” said the seventh-grader,
who admitted to some nervousness, “in the first few rounds.”
“This
is a little out of his element,” said his mother, Judy. “He’s very sports minded. It’s good to have something a little
different mixed in, something academic to compliment his sports.”
Morton
won on the word “panelist” after going head-to-head with second-place Coumo for
seven rounds. Casey and Ryder fought a
similar duel. After both were eliminated
in the same round, they also matched off for seven rounds in a spell-off to
decide their alternate rankings.
Morton
did not hesitate with his final word.
Instead, his toughest moment came in round six. When the last remaining students — Ryder and
five boys — each missed their round five word, all got to advance into round
six. There, Morton was momentarily
mystified by the word “keelfuel.”
“He
got that one right and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I don’t even know what that
word means,” recalled his mom.
Morton
admits he didn’t know either. His
correct spelling, he says, was an educated guess.
The
Maine portion of this year’s spelling bee is sponsored by Trinity Catholic
Church, in Lewiston. The state champion
will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, to be held May 26-28 in
Washington, D. C.
Are you smarter than a 6th grader?
The following words were used in the SAD 17 district
spelling bee, held Thursday, February 5, at Oxford Hills Middle School. The event included 29 students, the top
spellers in every English class in grades 6 through 8.
Just for fun, try out these words on your spouse,
partner, or friend, and see if he or she can spell better than a sixth-grader.
In each round, words marked with an asterix are the ones
students flubbed, causing an elimination. All others were spelled correctly — see if you
can do as well.
Round 1
chocolate, balcony, ninja, gospel*, canary, frolic*,
broadleaf, thermal, diplomat*, prescription, easel, dejected, goatee*, hustle,
tutu, reckless, denture*, earthenware*, topical, chinchilla*, forlorn, powwow*,
spectrum, candidate*, hassock*, talc*, newton, denim*, renovate, falsetto*.
Round 2
totem, grovel, pragmatic, finale, herbivore*, safari,
futon*, ventilate, poi, tundra, Alamos, cottage*, fatigue, gazelle, portfolio,
bequeath*, stoic*.
Round 3
elite, daffodil panzer, rouge*, algebra, souvenir,
diatribe, benefactor, shogun*, vibrato, feldspar, expertise.
Round 4
crochet*, Ramadan*, popularity, karate, excise, Gestapo*,
apricot, fiery*, gregarious, extravaganza.
Round 5
apostrophe*, nirvana*, Samaritan*, elan*, hacienda*,
chronology*.
Round 6
blithe*, desperado, keelfuel, shrapnel, paprika, mahatma.
Round 7
gazpacho*, affinity, exuberant, hydraulic*, rhinoceros*.
Round 8
herpetology, mariachi .
Round 9
tsunami, epiphany*.
Round 10
insidious*.
Round 11
fuselage, escargot*.
Round 12
ephemeral*.
Round 13
festival, hockey*.
Round 14
panelist.
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