Julien Elementary School sixth grader Gloria Park has successfully spelled her way to represent Stanislaus County at the California State Elementary Spelling Bee.
Park outlasted her competitors in the Stanislaus County Elementary Spelling Championship on Nov. 5. Along with Leah Raby, a 5th grader at Paradise Elementary School in Modesto, Park will move on to the state competition in Stockton on April 18. Lee Qin from Apricot Valley Elementary School will serve as alternate.
With words including "conscientious," "idiosyncrasy," and "irreplaceable" behind her, Park will now have to perfect yet another list of words randomly chosen from sources deemed appropriate by the Spell Master and Judges.
Frances Haydock, an eighth grader at Turlock Junior High School, hopes to meet the same outcome as Park at the Stanislaus County Junior High Spelling Championship on Nov. 19. Haydock will represent the school’s top eighth grader at the event.
“I’m preparing with a list of junior high spelling words that my language arts teacher gave me,” reported Haydock. “My family is helping me and testing me. I’m just trying to get the words in my head for the competition.”
In order to be selected for the county spelling bee, Haydock first participated in a spelling bee in her language arts class. After besting her fellow peers, Haydock went on to the school spelling bee, where she was crowned as the top speller in the eighth grade.
With the date of the competition drawing near, Haydock admitted to being both excited and nervous.
“I’m just nervous that I will jumble up the words when they give it to me,” said Haydock. “Especially with homophones, I don’t want to mix up the definition of the two words and spell them wrong.”
Haydock, along with two spellers from each junior high school in Stanislaus County, will compete at 5 p.m. at the Petersen Event Center at 720 12th St. in Modesto. This event, as well as the Stanislaus County Elementary Spelling Championship, is sponsored by the Stanislaus County Office of Education.
If Haydock reveals to be the top speller at the competition next week, she will move on to represent the county in the California State Junior High Spelling Bee Championship on May 2.
