Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Grand Valley girl runner-up in district’s spelling bee
KIRTLAND — Three spelling “all stars,” including Grand Valley’s Katie Paskey, went nine rounds at the 2010 Tri-County Spelling Bee at Kirtland Public Library Thursday morning before a winner emerged.
Kirsten Prout, a home-schooled seventh grader from Middlefield, won the title of Area V champion, and will head to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Katie was runner up in the contest, was stumped in the ninth round by the word “mootable,” an adjective that means “debatable” and sounds like “moodable” when pronounced.
The runner up had little to say after the contest, other than she’d prepared for the bee by studying words from the Merriam-Webster Spell It list, which can be downloaded from the myspellit.com Web site.
While the spelling bee used words from that list, the pronouncer also delved into the Extra Word List, sent out by the spelling bee’s national office. The list, for use at regional bees, is not available to the students for advance study.
Katie correctly spelled words like “temporal,” “Permian, “sitzmark,” “pitchblende” and “circumspectly” as she advanced against Kirsten Prout and Kelly Tapager, an eighth-grade student at the Andrews-Osborne Academy.
In one early round, all three girls missed their words, which revived Katie’s hope for a win.
After tripping over “mootable,” Katie took her seat and Kristen went on to win the round and the next word, “mantilla,” a light scarf worn over the head and shoulders by Spanish and Latin-American women.
Katie, who was supported at the event by her parents, grandparents and principal, received a trophy, one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica online and an Amazon.com gift card.
Steve Young, Lake County Educational Service Center director, told the spellers and their parents, grandparents and friends who came out to support them that they were all “winners” and the district spelling bee was like an “all-star game.”
“Our purpose here is to honor and further showcase these three champions,” Young said. “We’re further recognizing and honoring them for their accomplishments.”
This was Katie’s second trip to the district competition; she also represented Ashtabula County as a fifth-grade student. She is the only Grand Valley student to advance to the district level.
The bee was sponsored by the News Herald and the Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula County Educational Service Centers.
- Local News
-
-
'Bula teen drowns after leap from lighthouse
A trip to Lake Erie with friends turned tragic Tuesday night for a 19-year-old Ashtabula man.
-
Body found in Lampson Reservoir
The body of an adult male was found in the Lampson Reservoir on Wednesday evening, the Jefferson Emergency Rescue District reports.
-
Trash bin arsonists may have started house fire
Arsonists who have set nearly two dozen fires inside trash containers in the city of Ashtabula this month may be seeking bigger — and potentially more dangerous — prey, fire officials said.
-
Local charities, auxiliaries, unions on IRS warning list
From the Ashtabula Community Players to the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, scores of Ashtabula County nonprofit organizations are in danger of losing their favored status with the Internal Revenue Service.
-
Entrance to I-90 reopened
The west-bound entrance to Interstate 90 from Route 193 was re-opened Wednesday, but another closing is in the works for next week.
-
Proposed Geneva tax credit to create jobs
Geneva City Council will hold a special public meeting Friday to discuss the Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit Program for the joint economic development district with Harpersfield Township, a program introduced in April by former Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County executive director Joseph Mayernick.
-
PV board to place levy on November ballot
The Pymatuning Valley Local Board of Education recently passed a resolution to place an “emergency renewal levy” before voters in November.
-
Sheriff action against county set for November
Sheriff William Johnson will have his day in court, but he’ll have to wait another 3 1/2 months to get it.
-
Formal charges filed against men in domestic dispute
The father who allegedly took a shot at his daughter’s ex-boyfriend Saturday night after a domestic altercation was released from jail Tuesday, Municipal Court officials said.
Harvey Jones, 49, of Ashtabula, was charged with felonious assault and discharging a firearm within the city limits, court officials said. -
Man charged in Geauga crash
The Chagrin Falls man who slammed his truck into a car at a traffic light has been charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence and aggravated vehicular assault, Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Chad Bass said.
- More Local News Headlines
-
'Bula teen drowns after leap from lighthouse
