Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Complicated spelling words were no match for the 24 students from Jefferson Somerset and Aucilla Christian Academy (ACA) who competed at the Tuesday, Jan. 14 County Spelling Bee that was held at the First United Methodist Church (FUMC).
The bee, which puts the spelling abilities and skills of local students to the test, was held after the two schools held their own individual bees.
From Jefferson Somerset, Patrick Parrish had placed first, with Del'vontae Walker placing second.
From Aucilla Christian Academy, Laney Cruce had placed first, with Bradynn Johnson placing second.
On the stage at the FUMC, the 24 students sat in two rows. Each student had randomly drawn a number that designated their pattern of procedure and would ensure that the bee would only offer randomly generated words to each contestant.
ACA Principal Richard Finlayson assured the students that missing a word did not constitute a failure - “just being here to participate means they have accomplished a great deal,” he reiterated.
Each student on the stage had put in hours of study, practice and had competed at their school's bee previously. To be present on the county's stage meant that even if they missed a word, their efforts meant that their families, friends and community had recognized the hard work that had brought them this far.
This year's spelling bee judges were Allen Vanerson, from the Jefferson County Extension Office, and John Stephens, from the Jefferson County Courthouse.
In addition, the spelling bee's word pronouncer was Jennifer Fawn and John Womble was the bee's organizer.
The bee began promptly, with the students calmly reciting the spelling of the words Fawn spoke aloud – from nacho to balderdash, each word varied in complexity and usage.
At times, bee participants paused to ask for a definition, origin or use of a word before they dove into spelling it.
By the end of the first round, the majority of the students still remained on stage, and the words became more difficult at each passing round.
Eventually, the number of participants left on stage began to dwindle, and only three were left on the stage: Leonardo Rivera, a fourth grade student from Jefferson Somerset, Bradynn Johnson and Laney Cruce, both eighth graders from Aucilla Christian Academy.
Johnson, Cruce and Rivera competed with a calm, clear mind and honorable sportsmanship as their individual spelling words were presented to them, but it was Cruce who was left standing on the stage as the evening's final contestant.
After correctly spelling a bonus challenge word, Cruce was applauded as the night's 2020 Jefferson County Spelling Bee Champion.
Johnson, who placed second, and Rivera, who placed third, returned to the front of the room in order to receive their trophies and award certificates as well as to be recognized by Principal Finlayson.
All three spelling bee winners were granted a hearty round of applause before a photo session was conducted for the school and each participant's family.
While Cruce won the title of champion and Johnson and Rivera placed directly behind her, all of the 24 students who took part in the evening's spelling bee were remarkable and congratulated – a spelling bee is no easy feat and students often have no idea which words will be randomly presented to them.
By being involved in their county's spelling bee, all of the participants were engaging in a scholarly contest that is over 200 years old and continues to be a feat of impressive study, attention and recognition.
From ACA, the students who participated but did not place were: Bailey Fletcher (fourth grade), Piper Wilkinson (fourth grade), Hailey Roland (fourth grade), JR Watson (fifth grade), Kamrynn Johnson (fifth grade), Lexie Eades (fifth grade), Jamarqus Nightingale (sixth grade), Bryson Mills (sixth grade), Elizabeth Walker (sixth grade), Natalie Clark (seventh grade), Loryn Salmons (seventh grade), Kyle Hamrick (seventh grade) and Riley Rutledge (eighth grade).
From Jefferson Somerset, the students who participated but did not place were: Cain Kyler (fourth grade), Marta Cato (fifth grade), Patrick Parrish (sixth grade), Del'vontae Walker (sixth grade), Dakary Alexander (seventh grade), Roxanne Jaimes (seventh grade), Aleigha Flowers (seventh grade) and Johnathan Youngblood (eighth grade).
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