KOKOMO, Ind. – The public is invited to the Kresge Auditorium at Indiana University Kokomo Tuesday, March 21, as 22 elementary and middle school students compete at the North Central Indiana Regional Spelling Bee sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region and Indiana University Kokomo.
The contest will begin at 6:30 p.m. Winner of the regional competition will advance to the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee set for May 28 to June 3, with on-stage rounds of the competition May 31 and June 1 before an international audience in the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.
Josh Rockey, associate professor of communication at Ivy Tech, will serve as emcee and pronouncer. Judges include Kevin Bostic, president of Ivy Tech’s Lafayette Campus; Susan Sciame-Giesecke, chancellor of IU Kokomo; Tom McKaig, retired superintendent of Peru Community Schools and member of the Ivy Tech Kokomo Region Board of Trustees; and DeAndra Beard, founder of Beyond Borders Language Learning Center.
The winner of the regional bee will receive an expenses-paid trip to the nationals, along with The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award entitling the spelling to receive a 2017 United States Mint proof set and a $25 Amazon gift card. The winner will also receive one-year subscriptions to Britannica Online Premium and to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online. The second-place finisher will receive a Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition donated by Merriam-Webster and a $25 Amazon gift card.
Students qualified for the regional by winning their schools’ spelling bees. Participants are in grades 5 through 8 and come from schools in from Howard, Tipton, Miami, Cass, and Fulton counties. The competitors, their grade, and their schools include:
David Hoshaw, 8th, Acacia Academy, Kokomo
Bella Allee, 6th, Blair Pointe Upper Elementary, Peru
Madison Campbell, 6th, Caston Elementary, Fulton
Jasmine Johnson, 6th, Central Middle School, Kokomo
Kaiden Lucero, 6th, Columbia Middle School, Logansport
Betsy Rayl, 5th, Eastern Elementary, Greentown
Evan Mink, 8th, Eastern Junior-Senior High School, Greentown
A.J. Burkhalter, 6th, Howard Elementary, Kokomo
Abby Jordan, 5th, Maconaquah Elementary, Bunker Hill
Anastasia Spahr, 8th, Maconaquah Middle School, Bunker Hill
Lawrence Lewis, 7th, Maple Crest Middle School, Kokomo
Alayna Earle, 6th, North Miami Elementary, Denver
Caytlin Flood, 8th, North Miami Middle/High School, Denver
Kathryn Wong, 5th, Northwestern Elementary, Kokomo
Isabella Rogers, 8th, Northwestern Middle School, Kokomo
Rylee Bray, 8th, Peru Junior High School, Peru
Logan Colburn, 8th, Redeemer Lutheran School, Kokomo
Kenadi Waymire, 8th, Rochester Community Middle School, Rochester
Luke Mawbey, 6th, Sts. Joan of Arc & Patrick School, Kokomo
Krishi Patel, 5th, Taylor Elementary, Kokomo
Ashton Justice, 5th, Western Intermediate School, Russiaville
Dylan Collins, 7th, Western Middle School, Russiaville
Evan Mink, Anastasia Spahr, and Krishi Patel also participated in last year’s regional bee. Spahr was the 2014 champion and participated in the national bee.
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College – Kokomo Region