Letter P-E-R-F-E-C-T: Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee abuzz with Wood County

Chloe Lesher, 13, from Edison Middle School, was the $100 grand prize winner at the Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee. Lesher will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in June. (Photo by James Dobbs)

MARIETTA — Students from 10 local school districts met on Friday, at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theatre to compete head-to-head in the 41st Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee, to see who would go on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in June. Spellers traveled from Frontier Local Schools, St. Mary’s Catholic School, Wood County Schools, Veritas Classical Academy, Fort Frye Local Schools, Pleasants County Schools, St. John Central School, Belpre City Schools and Switzerland of Ohio Schools to compete in the bee.

Dr. Bill Ruud, president of Marietta College, was the pronouncer and one of the judges at the spelling bee. Ruud has been participating in the event for three years.

“It’s a great event,” he said. “You got families, you got young people, you got spelling, you got education. It’s great for the community.”

Ruud said he enjoys doing what he can to help the community and he feels like this is a good way to give back.

Ruud said he believes that the spelling bee is important, because it is the root of all that we do as humans. He said he also likes that spelling bees get young kids on stage and also helps in building confidence. Ruud said his favorite word is Antidisestablishmentarianism.

From left, Chloe Lesher, 13, Cheyenne Smith, 13, Savana Burd, 13, Henry Corcoran, 12, and Nathan McElroy, 12, were the first through fifth place winners of the 41st Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee. (Photo by James Dobbs)

Candice Black, a newspaper reporter, was also one of the judges at the spelling bee.

Christina Myer, executive editor of The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel was the event coordinator.

The Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee had three rounds. Four finalists from both the first and second rounds moved on to spell-it-out in the third and final round.

In the first round students had to spell words like inclusion, satellite, forensics, buffoonery and marvelous.

Savana Burd, from Pleasants County schools, Avery Pottmeyer, from St. John Central School, Cheyenne Smith, from Fort Frye Local Schools, and Bradley Westbrook, from Pleasants County Schools, were the four finalists in the first round, and moved on to the third round.

Hunter Hale, 10, from Fort Frye Local Schools, introduces himself at the spelling bee. (Photo by James Dobbs)

In the second round students had to spell words like flabbergast, hydroponic, vindictive, agitation and clandestine.

Henry Corcoran, from Veritas Classical Academy, Nathan McElroy, from Veritas Classical Academy, Chloe Lesher, from Wood County Schools, and Mikhal Grueneberg, from St. Mary’s Catholic School, were the finalists of the second round, and also moved on to the third round.

In the third and final round students had to spell words like duplicitous, logarithmic, sapphire, cerebellum and recriminatory.

In the final moments of the bee Lesher spelled parliamentary correctly, Smith incorrectly spelled hydrophobia and Burd incorrectly spelled astringent. Lesher was then asked to spell shenanigans, and she did so correctly. This granted her the $100 grand prize and the title of the winner of the 41st Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee.

Lesher said she enjoyed participating in the spelling bee, because she likes spelling and it makes her feel smart.

Emma Charleston, 10, from Warren Local Schools, spells “factoid” during the spelling bee. (Photo by James Dobbs)

“It felt great, I was not expecting to (win),” she said about winning the bee.

Smith was the second place winner and received a $50 gift card. Burd placed third, Corcoran placed fourth and McElroy placed fifth.

Lesher will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in June.

James Dobbs can be reached at [email protected].

Savana Burd, 13, from Pleasants County Schools, spells “chortle” at the spelling bee. (Photo by James Dobbs)

Grant Smith, 13, from Switzerland of Ohio Schools, spells “satellite” at the spelling bee. (Photo by James Dobbs)

Mikhal Grueneberg, 14, from St. Mary’s Catholic School, spells “languish” on her hand during the spelling bee. (Photo by James Dobbs)