Two students were crowned the winners of Brockport Hill School’s 15th Annual Spelling Bee held February 14 through 16.
The fourth-grade bee took place first on February 14, featuring 26 contestants. The students took turns spelling words that were selected at random. The competition continued until five finalists remained: Isaac Allen, Sophia Galanti, Andrew Lennartz, Alex Ophardt and Mason Schram.
The fourth-grade finals were held on February 15 and began with a visit from a special guest. Robert Bourg participated in the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee when he was a child. He told students about his experience in the national bee held in Washington, D.C. and spoke about the importance of reading. The finalists then returned to the stage in front of friends and family, where Andrew Lennartz spelled his way to the top.
The fifth-grade spelling bee kicked off later that day and included 22 students. After several rounds of competition, five students earned a spot in the finals: Christopher Guthrie, Phoebe Ha, Jason Kleehammer, Sumari O’Mara and Chloe O’Shea. The fifth-grade finals were held on February 16 and also included a visit from Bourg. Chloe O’Shea emerged the winner during the final competition held on February 16.
All ten finalists were presented with dictionaries and the two winners’ names will be engraved in the school’s spelling bee plaque.
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