Five R-9 students vie for spelling honors at regional Spelling Bee
Five Carthage R-9 students gave it their all Wednesday afternoon, with two sixth graders making it into the all-important fourth round, during the 32nd annual Joplin Globe Spelling Bee at Missouri Southern State University’s Taylor Auditorium.
Columbian Elementary student Callie Nuse and fellow sixth grader from Fairview Elementary, Jennifer Anderson, made it into the fourth round with more than half the field of 92 students already out of the competition.
“Thank you,” Anderson said with a smile, receiving a trophy for her efforts.
Nuse correctly spelled, among the words offered to her, “consumer” and “prairie” before bailing out on the word that would have tongue-tied most adults — “incontrovertibly.” Callie, who spelled “exaggeration” to get to Wednesday’s Bee, is the daughter of Chuck Nuse and Jeff and Amy Vaughan.
Anderson received her trophy less than a minute later, attempting to spell “camouflage” but adding just one too many letters. Anderson’s first word was “joining.” She correctly spelled “ritzy” to make it to the Bee. She is the daughter of Chris and Starla Anderson.
Matthew Keeling, a fifth grade student from Mark Twain Accelerated, Carson Trent, of Pleasant Valley Elementary, and Austyn Maggard, fourth grade student from Steadley Elementary, also competed well, with Maggard reaching the contest’s second round.
Matthew is the son of Robert and LeaAnn Keeling; Carson is the son of Scott and Tammy Trent; while Austyn is the son of Trisha and John Dunham, and Craig and Christen Stark.
Words both simple and difficult, of minimal or many letters, were read, repeated, spelled back, misspelled, defined and even placed into a sentence during the three-hour event. Some of the contestants were jubilant when they got a word spelled correctly, grinning, letting out a breath or pumping a fist.
Words such as “phenomenon” and “alcove” and “spiffily” and “fiat” and “obligatory” were spelled correctly, while others — “thew” and “troth” and “whelk” and “tabloidism” and “addiction” — gave their spellers fits.
By spelling “litterateur” and “basilica,” Christopher Smith, of Monett, became the champion of the 2009 Bee — a fifth grade student from Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt.
Rachel Peterson, a sixth-grader at St. Peter's Middle School, and Devon Russell, a fifth-grader at College Heights Christian School, finished second and third respectively.
Overall, Carthage students have done well this decade. Lindsey Terry won the 2005 competition, correctly spelling the word “rifeness.” In 2003, Carthage student Tadd Wagner won by spelling “Elysium” correctly.
In 1980 and 1981 respectively, Rena Staton and Christine Hwang both tied with another student to win top honors in the spelling competition.
