Spelling bee crowns its queen

Mar 7, 2010 — The Herald-Sun

Matthew E. Milliken

Mar. 7, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- DURHAM -- Jessia Connelly, an eighth-grader from Orange Charter School, won the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee Saturday at sponsor Duke University's Page Auditorium.

Connelly, who bested a field of 54, was rewarded with a hefty hardcover copy of Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged), a $100 savings bond and a one-year online subscription to Encyclopedia Brittanica.

More importantly, she won an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for herself and a chaperone, plus a slot in this spring's Scripps National Spelling Bee. The event will be televised by ESPN.

"I feel really happy," Connelly said after being congratulated by a Duke official and her friends and family. "And I'm still a little bit nervous from the spelling bee."

Connelly was one of five contestants left after the bee's 10th round. All of the them lasted into Round 14, when Ramya Mulugu of Githens Middle School was tripped up by "escrow." In the next round, Lauren Thomas of Voyager Academy was eliminated after misspelling "mirthful" and Lucy Jayala of W.G. Pearson Middle suffered the same fate on "addenda."

That left Connelly and Amber McDonald of Carrington Middle School. McDonald seemed unnerved by "sorceress" but spelled it correctly in Round 16. Connelly correctly handled "macaw."

In the next round, McDonald sought alternate pronunciations, the word origin and a second pronunciation of "linearity" before she attempted to spell it. But her rendition was off, leading a judge to ring the bell that signals errors.

Connelly was given "odium" and returned the proper spelling, to applause. The judges conferred before recalling Connelly to the microphone. She would have to spell another word correctly in order to win the bee.

She was challenged by "repast," which she misspelled, earning a bell ring and reopening the door for McDonald.

But McDonald also misspelled "pendule," leaving the field again to Connelly. The Orange Charter student mishandled "cronyism," sending the event to yet another round.

With tension soaring, McDonald got one of the hardest words of the final rounds, the obscure "mysticity," and could not return the correct spelling. Connelly then claimed the prize by spelling "festooned," which she asked to be used in a sentence, and "usurped," for which she requested the language of origin (Latin).

McDonald, although clearly disappointed in not being the champion, sportingly clapped and smiled as Connelly was pronounced the winner of the first Scripps-affiliated regional bee to be held in the Triangle in several years.

All of the contestants were then recalled to the stage by Duke Vice President of Durham and Regional Affairs Phail Wynn. The students were given backpacks, Duke hats and other gifts.

"You are a champion," Wynn told the elementary- and middle-school students. "From this day forward, you [will] always be a champion. Thank you for representing your schools. Let's give them all a round of applause."

He might as well have asked North Carolina residents to root for their favorite basketball teams. The parents, siblings, teachers and friends in the auditorium stood and raised the roof.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0052-42649781