CHARLOTTE — Hydrophobia. Irrevocable. Feckless. Cryptic.
Those were just a few of the words that challenged 12 students from across the Diocese of Charlotte who took to the stage for more than 20 rounds at the annual Diocesan Spelling Bee on Jan. 22.
The event is open to fourth- through eighth-graders who win first at the school level, and it serves as the unofficial kickoff to Catholic Schools Week, which begins Jan. 25.
Students study words from a specific list in preparation for the bee and are eliminated from competition once they misspell one. During the competition, they have the option of asking the moderators for the definition and origin of the words they are given.
Competitors faced a wide variety of words, ranging from “squabble,” “deployment” and “isolation” to “bodega,” “leviathan” and “minestra” (a kind of Italian soup).
Two seventh-graders, Gus Blankenbaker from St. Mark School in Huntersville and Peyton Hill from St. Pius X School in Greensboro, battled 15 rounds to see who would come out on top.
Hill ended up winning the day by spelling “dissolution” correctly.
Her victory came after a little over two weeks of studying the list of words she received after winning her school’s bee on Jan. 8.
“I’d work on it in my free time,” she said. “It was challenging because I also had Irish dance, horseback riding and basketball, but I practiced whenever I had the time.”
Along with all those other activities, Peyton also said she is a voracious reader.
Even after all the preparation she did, she was still happy and surprised at her victory.
“It feels very awesome to win this,” she said. “It’s exhilarating because I thought I would go out in the first round.”
Her parents Morgan and Sandy Hill of Greensboro were beaming at the end of the bee. Mr. Hill said his daughter had been working toward this victory for several years after first competing in spelling competitions when she was in the fifth grade.
“It’s just a proud moment to see her win,” he said.
Peyton will stay in the spelling spotlight for a while longer. With her win, she earned the chance to participate in an upcoming spelling bee sponsored by the Carolina Panthers. Two online competitions will be held – one in North Carolina, the other in South Carolina – and the victors of each will meet in a head-to-head championship in Charlotte. The winner of that bee will earn a trip to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.
Other participants in the bee were:
• Bella Coleman from Sacred Heart School in Salisbury
• Frank Gareis from St. Michael School in Gastonia
• J.P. Hammond of Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro
• Annabelle Hillard from Holy Trinity Middle School in Charlotte
• Emmie Huntley of St. Gabriel School in Charlotte
• Eliana Lieberman of St. Matthew School in Charlotte
• Layla Murrell of Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem
• Anthony Owens from St. Ann School in Charlotte
• Pete Stewart of St. Patrick School in Charlotte
• Valentina Zamora from St. Leo School in Winston-Salem
At the end of the bee, the diocese’s superintendent of schools, Dr. Greg Monroe, thanked the parents for helping their students reach the spelling bee.
“We couldn’t do what we do in and out of the classroom without your support,” he said.
— Story and photos by Christina Lee Knauss
