Kendall student places eighth is spelling bee

Kendall eighth-grader Claire Lustumbo was one of 20 students in Western New York to compete in the Buffalo News Spelling Bee on March 21 where she placed eighth. She first qualified for the honor when she won the Kendall Spelling Bee by spelling her final word, "patriarch," correctly. That entitled her to take a written test along with 250 other students from Western New York. The 20 students who scored the highest competed in the Spelling Bee. She is the daughter of Tonya and Louis Lustumbo. She said her mom, a sixth-grade teacher in Kendall, practiced with her a lot while she was growing up. Claire also credits her friend Eric Walzer, who helped her practice for the competitions.