Special to the Herald
SPRINGFIELD -- Seventeen students from elementary and middle schools throughout Effingham County School District competed Jan. 30, in the annual system-wide spelling bee at the Effingham College and Career Academy.
Elementary students competing included Snigdha Gowda (Blandford Elementary), Madelyn Moody (Ebenezer Elementary), Kate Zipay (Guyton Elementary), Eliza Lowe (Marlow Elementary), Caiden Steptoe (Rincon Elementary), Nixon Maielua (Sand Hill Elementary), Bella Phillips (South Effingham Elementary), and Rowan Wills (Springfield Elementary).
Participants from middle schools included Keyarii Reddix, Xander Carter, and William Westerwelle from Ebenezer Middle; Colyn Tauzier, Noah Cribb, and Edward Avila-De Grandez from Effingham County Middle; and Sophia Gallant, Jasmine Le, and Joshua Browning from South Effingham Middle.
After numerous rounds and eliminations, including two vocabulary rounds, the contest was narrowed to two competitors: Jasmine Le and Snigdha Gowda. As the rules provided, after a missed word, the finalist must correctly spell the next two words. Jasmine Le successfully spelled two consecutive words for the win – “astringent” and “scarab”.
Jasmine Le will represent the Effingham County School System at the Region 8 Spelling Bee Feb. 25, at the Yamacraw Performing Arts Center in Savannah. Snigdha Gowda will serve as the Effingham County School System’s alternate representative.
Dr. Mimi Vaquer, high school gifted education facilitator, was the official “pronouncer” for the event. The judges were Vanessa Denison, middle school curriculum & gifted coordinator and system spelling bee coordinator; Misty Duncan, elementary curriculum coordinator, and Diane Owens, high school curriculum coordinator from the Effingham County Board of Education; Anna Barton, director of curriculum, served as mistress of ceremonies. Lisa Byrd, administrative assistant, served the Spelling Bee through preparation, registration, and program support. District therapy dogs, Piper and Junie, and their handlers Kate Keith and Stacey Reid provided support at the bee.