LaVilla School of Arts seventh-grader takes title in 22 rounds
• By Dan Scanlan
• Story updated at 2:33 PM on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010
The competitors
- Ashley Elizabeth Barron, seventh grade, James Weldon Johnson Middle School
- Franco Bautista, eighth grade, Darnell-Cookman Middle School
- Lauren Blasco, sixth grade, Jacksonville Country Day School
- Emma Carabenciov, eighth grade, Fletcher Middle School
- Justice Cordova, sixth grade, Landon Middle School
- Kiana Goodall, eighth grade, Ribault Middle School
- Mallory Kazaleh, seventh grade, Holy Family Catholic School
- Sindy Lee, seventh grade, LaVilla School of the Arts
- Julio Mendez, fifth grade, Twin Lakes Academy Elementary School
- Maeghan Pettus, seventh grade, Assumption Catholic School
- Jill Responte, fifth grade, Stockton Elementary School
- Christopher Routzong, fifth grade, Jacksonville Beach Elementary School
- Andrew So, fifth grade, Beauclerc Elementary School
- Maristela Soberano, eighth grade, St. Joseph Catholic School
- Valerie Starks, fifth grade, Holiday Hill Elementary School
- Ariel Szoychen, seventh grade, Kirby-Smith Middle School
- Matthew Tan, seventh grade, Harvest Community School
- Emma Trammell, fifth grade, Riverside Presbyterian School
- Mary Ukpong, seventh grade, Stilwell Middle School
You might call it an "exuberant" performance full of "enthusiasm" by a stage full of "gregarious" fifth- through eighth-grade students from 19 schools around Duval County.
After 70 minutes of verbal stumbling over words such as "kremlin" and "dungaree," Darnell-Cookman Middle School eighth-grader Franco Bautista's "arsenal" came up empty. That's when LaVilla School of the Arts seventh-grader Sindy Lee gave a "virtuoso" performance to win the 2010 Duval County Spelling Bee, held at Mandarin Middle School.
This was Bautista's first time at the county bee, and he admits he was thinking of another word.
"I was trying to make it sound like 'personnel.' But it wasn't. It was another word entirely," he said after securing second place. "It was a really nice experience, and I wish I could do it again. This was my first time doing it, so it was fun."
As for Lee, she looked stunned when she won, adding that she had a memory helper on stage after receiving her trophy.
Nineteen elementary and middle school students represented Duval County in the spelling bee, selected from dozens of public and private school champions after scoring in the top 15 percent in a written preliminary spelling bee Jan. 14 at Mandarin Oaks Elementary School. Six were from private schools. Two were returning competitors: Ribault Middle eighth-grader Kiana Goodall, who competed in the county bee as a fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grader; and the 2008 winner and 2009 runner-up, Ashley Barron, a seventh-grader at James Weldon Johnson.
More than 100 parents, siblings and teachers filled the auditorium as the bee began, with the 19 competitors arrayed with big numbers around their necks in front of three judges. The pronouncer gave the 19 a practice round under the bright stage lights, in which one word was misspelled. Then they were off.
"Agricultural" and "quarantine" tripped up two spellers, while "psychoanalyze" sent another student to the couch in the second round. Misspellings of "aggrandizement," "periscope," "gradient" and "worrisome" sent more competitors back to their families.
Some students could be seen smiling as others started, paused, then continued on words, seemingly glad they didn't have to tackle them. Others mouthed the words along with their fellow classmates. Jacksonville Country Day School sixth-grader Lauren Blasco sketched out each of her words on her left forearm as judges and audience members smiled, until "Parmesan" took her out.
Maeghan Pettus was cooking until "hibachi" took her out of the running.
"I am disappointed, but I know I can shake it off in a few days or a few weeks. There's next year," said the Assumption Catholic School seventh-grader.
Round 16 saw the field cut to two with the misspelling of "kremlin" with a "C." Bautista and Lee traded words such as "exuberant," "geisha," "albatross" and "adamant" until Round 22, when Lee won by correctly spelling "virtuoso."
Lee will compete against regional winners from Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Flagler, Hamilton, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee and Union counties at The Florida Times-Union Regional Spelling Bee at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Main Library in Jacksonville. That winner will compete in the national spelling bee, set for late May in Washington, D.C. [attachment=39567]
[ 此贴被Wen Wen在02-01-2010 09:29重新编辑 ]
