West Jeff speller wins bee with ‘incredulous’

(Posted Jan. 17, 2019)

By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor

The 250-some spectators at the Madison County Spelling Bee abided by the one rule set out for them at the start of the oral spelldown: Feel free to spell along with the contestants, but do so silently.

So, as the 31 students who made the cut approached the podium one by one in hopes of stringing together letters in the right order, the only sounds besides their voices and those of the pronouncers were the occasional baby’s babble and the audience’s collective, sympathetic groan when a speller’s try was judged to be incorrect.

As can be expected, many of the words thrown at the contestants were doozies, like:

* ostentatious–attracting attention, admiration or envy, often by gaudiness or obviousness;

*maladroit–inept;

*kovsh–a traditional drinking vessel or ladle from Russia; and

*pitchblende–a chief mineral source for uranium.

Jacob Cameron, a seventh-grader from Canaan Middle School, broke some of the tension in the room when, upon being given “sarcasm,” he declared, “Gee, I love this word,” then proceeded to spell it correctly.

The spelldown went 10 rounds and covered 114 words (see the list at the end of this story) before Nathan Peters, an eighth-grader from West Jefferson Middle School emerged victorious. He correctly spelled “kirtle” (a man’s tunic), then “incredulous” (unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true) to take the title.

Peters has competed in the spelling bee for the past four years. This is his first win. His previous best performance was third place as a fifth-grader.

Sixth-grader Wyatt Keyt, also from West Jefferson Middle School, was the runner-up.

The spelling bee was held Jan. 15 at Tolles Career and Technical Center in Plain City. Students in fifth- through eighth-grade competed. They hailed from Jonathan Alder Local Schools, Madison-Plains Local Schools, Jefferson Local Schools and Shekinah Christian School.

More than 70 students first took the written test. The top scorers from each grade then moved on to the oral spelldown.

The top finishers by grade level on the written test were:

* Fifth grade–Chloe Wilson, Canaan Middle School;

* Sixth grade (tie)–Ross Gerckens, Canaan Middle School, and Addison Hawkins, Madison-Plains Middle School;

* Seventh grade–Matt Hirshberg, Jonathan Alder Junior High School; and

* Eighth grade–Nathan Peters.

The top finishers by grade level in the oral spelldown were:

* Fifth grade–Tammy Kindrick, Canaan Middle School;

* Sixth grade–Wyatt Keyt;

* Seventh grade–Jacob Cameron; and

* Eighth grade–Nathan Peters.

Pronouncers for the event were Joseph Galore and Karen Grigsby. Judges were Kathleen Chrysler, Jennifer Merb, Libby Heinig and Brad Miller.

List of words from the oral spelldown

library
monsoon
zero
beige
jungle
tycoon
elite
bugle
cupid
diesel
panzer
knavery
shampoo
opera
waltz
jovial
slave
cashew
floss
pretzel
strict
cringle
bookkeeping
ramen
jerky
mascara
polka
guitar
jaguar
irony
canary
parka
loot
salami
bevel
tragic
sugar
character
menu
easel
yahoo
bungalow
mart
daffodil
unity
tortilla
noodle
mesa
tundra
gnat
snuff
antibiotic
gospel
balcony
current
nirvana
sumo
electoral
polymer
dreidl
cadenza
pitchblende
lariat
sashimi
obsequious
flamenco
synergy
maladroit
pandit
precipice
bureaucracy
melancholy
ballerina
babushka
hacienda
tarragon
lederhosen
belladonna
paprika
slaughter
ingenious
entourage
muddle
tomatillo
hydraulic
miso
pneumatic
yamen
apathy
cummerbund
chalupa
excise
incognito
eulogy
ostentatious
guilder
juggernaut
dearth
sarcasm
souvenir
mystique
mahimahi
autobahn
ghoul
sevruga
angst
insidious
alchemy
kovsh
exuberant
beleaguer
capitulation
kirtle
incredulous