Spellbound: Lake County spellers duke it out for trip to state

RONAN — Fifty of the region’s most talented spellers showed off their skills at Lake County’s 25th annual spelling bee held Thursday night. The competitors earned spots on the Ronan Events Center stage by distinguishing themselves as the best spellers in grades five through eight in their public, private, or home-schools.

It was an evening of intense competition, but after 19 rounds Ronan 6th grader, Jacob Broughton, and Polson 6th grader, Sierra Lily-Garcia, earned Lake County’s two spots at the Montana State Bee in Billings, and were named first and second finishers, respectively.

No spell-check allowed here

Lake County Superintendant of Schools, Gale Decker, acted as master of ceremonies for the two-hour event attended by approximately 150 people.

After explaining the rules of the competition, Decker introduced the other officials on stage. At a podium to the left of the stage was veteran pronouncer, Marilynn Tanner, who gave the students words to spell from a list generated by Scripps, a national spelling organization. At a table across the stage were judges Judy Shafter and Susan Black, who listened to student responses and decided whether the speller would leave or stay on stage.

Round one saw the first three at the microphone eliminated by “salami,” “biopsy,” and “crochet.” Competitor No. 4, Ronan 6th grader Faith Noland-Faroni, became the first speller to earn a green “correct” card from the judges and a place in round two.

By the end of the first round, a total of 17 spellers had left the stage. The second and third rounds eliminated 14 more.

Nine competitive and talented students remained at the start of round four, but by round five, those nine had been reduced to four. The final four faced the fifth round knowing that only three could earn a place, or alternate place, at the state bee.

After Lilly-Garcia correctly spelled “regatta,” the first word of round five, Ronan 7th grader, Shaelynn Miller and Charlo 6th grader, Kane Shenyer, fell to “matinee” and “aristocracy,” respectively. Broughton’s correct spelling of “chimichanga” meant that he and Lilly-Garcia would both advance to Billings, while Miller and Shenyer would battle for the alternate position.

The two went head-to-head for nine rounds, accurately spelling words like “carnivore” and “alliteration.” At times, both of the well-matched spellers seemed on the verge of securing the alternate spot, but neither was able to provide the two correct responses in a row necessary to be declared the winner.

In the competition’s 14th round, Miller omitted a ‘t’ from “spaghetti.” Shenyer capitalized on her error and correctly spelled “simile” and “diesel” to become the alternate at the state competition.

Then began the duel between Broughton and Lilly-Gacia for first place. The sixth-graders went three fast-paced rounds, confidently tackling words like “meticulous” and “idiom.”

In the fourth round between the two, the 19th round of the competition, the intensely focused Lilly-Garcia faltered on “nirvana” and replaced the word’s “i” with an “e.”

Broughton seized his opportunity, and with the words “sallow” and “prosaic” became the 2011 Lake County Spelling Bee champ. The two top-finishers immediately congratulated each other, and Decker ended the evening’s event by having them once again introduce themselves, this time as the bee’s top two spellers.

Spelling star

Jacob Broughton may have won by spelling the word “prosaic,” but he gave a performance that was anything but. From the start, Broughton stood out from the talented pack, and not just for his trademark ear-to-ear grin.

Even in the practice round, in which no competitor could be eliminated, Broughton asked Tanner for the definition and language of origin for his word, “encore.” His methodical questioning continued through every round of the competition. He later explained that this was part of his strategy,

“My dad said I should always ask,” Broughton said, “Even if I knew the answer, I asked. Just to be sure.”

So predictable were his questions that at one point Tanner, much to the amusement of the audience, preempted Broughton by saying “and no, ‘sallow’ has no alternate pronunciations.”

Broughton’s tendency to externalize his emotions made him particularly fun to watch. While many of the competitors must have been nervous, they masked their feelings well, letting on with only the occasional stammer or giggle.

Broughton, on the other hand, paced, rocked and dramatic paused his way through all 19 rounds. From anxiety to relief, from panic to joy, the sweatshirt-clad sixth grader allowed the audience to live the ups and downs of the competition with him.

One stressful moment for Broughton and his fans came when he was given the word “succotash.” The audience stilled as they listened to Broughton muttering letters to himself, struggling to compose a response. Broughton’s correct spelling elicited cheers from the audience, but he said later said that it was the hardest word, and tensest moment of the evening.

Although Broughton took his time when preparing to spell, once he was ready to respond, he did so with enthusiasm and authority. Where most spellers punctuated their responses with question marks, Broughton spoke with exclamation points.

His confidence on stage probably stemmed from his intense preparation at home. Broughton studied with the Scripps website every day, and in the week before the competition, dedicated three to five hours a day to practice.

After the competition Broughton was smiling and clutching his trophy, surrounded by his mom, dad, brother, and sister. He has only two weeks to prepare for the state competition which will be held at MSU Billings on March 26, but in the moments after his county win, he seemed to just be basking in the glory.

“Was it exhilarating?” his dad asked him, about the win.

“Yes it was exhilarating. And I’m exuberant!” he replied.

Spellers left behind

From all-day coverage on ESPN to prime time network specials hosted by the likes of Erin Andrews and Chris Harrison, Scripps National Spelling Bee has captivated American audiences. But even as the national bee and its brilliant contestants become a hip, water-cooler topic around the country, participation in the bee here in Lake County continues to decrease.

Kate Ike, Deputy County Superintendent of Lake County Schools, has successfully organized the county bee for the last 19 years. Over the last few years, however, Ike has noticed decreased participation, with 2011 having the lowest participation yet.

Ike attributes the trend, in part, to a conflict that teachers face: some must choose between preparing for state-mandated tests and preparing spellers for the county bee.

As part of No Child Left Behind, a national education initiative, Lake County students are required to perform at higher levels each year on the state-wide tests. Schools are graded on student attendance and performance, and the failures of just a few students could mean that the school gets flagged by the federal government as “needing improvement.”

Ike said that the stringent standards have pressured many teachers into spending more time preparing for tests than preparing for the bee; an understandable, but unfortunate, decision for those students who love spelling and might benefit from the life-long skills that participation in bees provides.

The mission statement on the Scripps website, for example, states: “Our purpose is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.”

Locally, Arlee Junior High School English teacher, Kallie Shanahan said that she has seen a number of students benefit from preparing for the spelling bee.

“It involves the kids in academic areas rather than just focusing on sports,” Schanahan said. “Certain kids get really into it — it gives them something to concentrate on and be successful at.”

While tough competitors like Lilly-Garcia and Broughton demonstrate the benefits of participating in an activity that tests intelligence, endurance, and ability to perform under pressure, it remains to be seen how many Lake County middle-schoolers will be sufficiently prepared to take on the challenge in 2012.

Buzz on the bee in Billings

Jacob Broughton and Sierra Lilly-Garcia distinguished themselves as the top spellers in Lake County, but how will they fare when they head to The Treasure State Spelling Bee in Billings on March 26?

And just how tough will the competition get?

- Rose Tracy, of Anaconda, won the state bee in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and might have presented their biggest threat, but now in high school, Tracy is no longer eligible to participate in the bee.

- Tracy attributed last year’s win to her ability to break down words, such as “pyrolatry,” to identify their root languages. This could be an effective strategy for Broughton, who has already proven his ability to work through words methodically.

- While the Lake County bee had 50 participants and lasted less than two hours, past state bees have drawn 65 participants and lasted three, grueling hours.

- Broughton and Lilly-Garcia better brush up on foreign language skills as well as spelling: the state bee continues to feature foreign words that have become part of the American lexicon. Last year’s state bee included words like “rupee” and “glockenspiel,” and here in Lake County spellers missed foreign words like “sayonara,” “luau,” and “quesadilla.”

- The Treasure State winner gets the chance to participate in the Scripps National Bee in Washington, DC, but to this point, no Montana champ has secured the national title.