Osage County’s top spellers for 2019 show their certificates as participants in the countywide spelling bee held at Melvern on Feb. 12, 2019.
MELVERN, Kan. – While many people are waiting for spring flowers, a “daffodil” tripped up the runner-up winner of the Osage County Spelling Bee, held Feb. 12, 2019, at Marais des Cygnes Valley High School gymnasium.
Samantha Cole, student at Lyndon Middle School, became the county’s champion speller for 2019, after remembering the “Alamo” in the 13th and championship round.
The bee turned suspenseful in the ninth round as two seventh-graders remained – Samantha and Osage City Middle Schooler Emery Camarena took turns at correct spellings: apricot, diagnosis; adios, popularity. Then with Samantha correctly spelling “boutique”, Emery stumbled on “daffodil”. The misspelling set up Samantha to correctly spell one final word to claim the championship: Alamo.
With her win, Samantha will represent Osage County and runner-up Emery will serve as alternate at the upcoming statewide spelling bee.
Other participants in the countywide bee included Taneal Stevenson, Rowan Humphreys, and Codi Meyers, alternate, from Burlingame Middle School; Tristan Spangler, Elisabeth Molt, and Owen Lattimer, alternate, Carbondale Attendance Center; Madison Boley, Lyndon Middle School; Levi Hill, Evie Stephens, and Kate Wilt, alternate, Marais des Cygnes Valley Middle School; and Bryce Linebarger and Jeffrey Snodgress, alternate, Osage City Middle School. All were championship spellers or runners-up at their respective school spelling bees.
Words misspelled at the county bee were garage, hundredth, errand, tattle, protein, rehearse, stucco, bevel, daffodil.
The statewide spelling bee, organized by the Kansas Press Association, will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 9, 2019, at De Mattias Fine Arts Center, Newman University, 3100 McCormick, Wichita, Kan. The first-place winner of the state spelling bee and an escort will be awarded a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee May 26-June 1, 2019.
