(Photo by Shelby Herbert / KFSK)
Stedman Elementary School students competed in the Petersburg School District’s annual spelling bee early this month. It was a uniquely tight competition, with two emergency spell-offs between the finalists.
But as KFSK’s Shelby Herbert reports, one speller finally came out on top.
It’s the earliest hours of a chilly morning in Petersburg, and some of the students and parents gathered in Petersburg Middle and High School’s Wright Auditorium look like they’re still blinking the sleep out of their eyes. But the day’s spelling bee contestants are bright with excitement — and, perhaps, nerves.
About a dozen elementary school students line up under the stage lights before a panel of judges. Some look down at their feet in desperation or up at the ceiling for inspiration. Others look out to the crowd in search of their friends and family members.
The competition starts off slow, with emcee Sue Paulsen reading off simple, one-syllable words.
But after about a half hour, only three spellers are left on the stage: fourth grader Libby Taiber and fifth graders Ivy Worhatch and Ellia Stewart. After a round of especially challenging words — “gloaming,” “popover,” and “termite,” all three spellers were still stuck in a deadlock. But at the end of the day, the 2024 Stedman Elementary Spelling Bee can have only one victor. So, Paulsen declared an emergency under the “End-of-Bee Procedure.”
“This is a fabulous moment,” said Paulsen. “We’ve reached near the end of the spelling bee format. So, we’ll go in rounds again. If only one person spells correctly, then that person spells the next word. If it’s correct, he or she is a champion. If that is not correct, all will spell again. Then, the grand finale is between two. We’re going to carry on with these words right here…”
Taiber and Stewart were eliminated in what appears to be the final round. Worhatch stepped up to the mic to spell the final word and seal her win — “disdain.”
So, it was back up to the mic for all three of them. After another round, Taiber and Worhatch are back in their seats. It’s Stewart who’s the last speller standing this time. Her final word: “Afrobeat.”
And that’s that — Ellia Stewart is crowned the 2024 spelling bee champ. The three finalists hugged it out as their audience roared with applause.
(Photo by Shelby Herbert / KFSK)
As the excitement dies down and all the contestants return to the stage for a round of pictures, the three finalists let KFSK in on their secrets. Taiber takes a very procedural approach to spelling.
“I just thought of the word in my head and then I split it into different parts,” said Taiber. “Then I sounded each one out, and then I put it into the, like, each different, one by one.”
Worhatch’s secret sits in the palm of her hand. Her strategy is to squeeze an object to help her focus.
“I usually use something before it like a squishy or something and I spell the word out before in my head,” said Worhatch.
Worhatch produces a foam stress ball shaped like an avocado in her small hand. The exposed seed has a little face painted on it, smiling serenely.
Stewart’s secret to success is also the color green… but maybe a little less friendly. For her, it all came down to grinding hours on a popular online language-learning app that features a big green owl. The Duolingo mascot has achieved online virality for cheerfully threatening users who miss their Spanish lessons — an ultimatum that isn’t lost on the reigning spelling bee champ.
“Duolingo! Duolingo in general,” said Stewart. “I never miss a lesson.”
Without missing a beat, MC Sue Paulsen thanked the audience for their support and the contestants for their sportsmanship —and then, she spells out the point of the exercise:
“…Onward and upward! More and better spelling, every day!”
