Eighth-grader takes Paradise Spelling Bee

Eighth-grader Sarah Necessary correctly spelled "deduce" to win the Paradise School Spelling Bee Friday in the school gym. Angel Crawford of the seventh grade took second with Shailyne Ames and Shaira Caldwell of the fifth grade taking third and fourth, respectively. The four girls will represent Paradise in the Sanders County Spelling Bee in Thompson Falls March 3.

Two boys and eight girls, ranging from fifth to eighth grade, competed in the spelling bee with the top four spellers advancing to the county-wide competition. Teachers Karen Willoughby, Diane Prongua and Patty Johnson served as judges for the competition. After each student spelled and repeated their word, the judges held up two-sided paddles, showing green for correct and red for incorrect.

School principal and moderator of the spelling bee, Jim LeClair, said the competition unfolded about as he expected. "Sarah's a very strong speller," LeClair said. "So it didn't surprise me that she ended up winning."

LeClair, who also teaches the seventh and eighth grade class, said he expects Necessary and the others will do well at the county competition and they will learn a lot from it.

"I think they'll do very well," LeClair said. "It will be a good experience for them."

He said that with the smaller numbers at Paradise School, they have much fewer students to draw from, but he said he was happy with how the contestants performed.

"It was nice to see the fifth- and sixth-graders in there," LeClair said. "They were competing and doing well."

Some of the students participating in the competition seemed to let their nerves get the better of them as they stood on the stage at the podium. Johnson said students often get nervous, despite how much practice they've had for the bee.

"They've been prepared, but until they get up there, they're not sure what it's like," Johnson said. "It's totally different up there."

LeClair said that because of a lack of funds, the school didn't have the opportunity to purchase the preparation booklets that would have helped the students get ready for the format of the spelling bee. He said they learn spelling in their normal curriculum, but the booklets would have helped the students learn more about things, such as word origins and how to approach the competition.

Johnson, who teaches the third and fourth grade class, said the bee went a lot quicker than some have in the past, but she said that kind of thing can happen. She said it helps that the whole school has been able to watch the competition, even if they're not competing. She said that's one reason the two fifth-graders, Ames and Caldwell, did so well in their first year in the bee. "The reason it goes so smoothly is they can see how it works," Johnson said. "They were paying attention."

This year was Johnson's third year as a judge and she said Willoughby and Prongua have been judges even longer. Willoughby teaches the fifth and sixth grade class while Prongua serves as the Title I teacher, librarian and technology coordinator. Johnson said she expects the four students to be worthy contenders at the county competition.

"They're well read and hardworking girls," Johnson said. "They will do a really good job."

The Sanders County Spelling Bee will take place March 3, at 1 p.m. in the Thompson Falls Senior Center.