Goodrich – Since they were fourth graders, Rae Moors and Diana Svinarich said they wanted to qualify for their regional spelling bee.
‘I have always wanted to make it to regionals,? said Moors. ‘It finally paid off.?
Not only did they qualify, Moors placed first earning her a gold medal, and Svinarich placed second for a silver in the ninth grade competition at the Genesee County Regional Spelling Bee on Feb. 20.
Moors said she won by spelling the word ‘sagely? correctly. The word ‘platypus? earned Svinarich second place honors.
Both went on to participate in the Champion of Champions spelling bee on Feb. 21 against six other ninth through twelfth graders from the Genesee Intermediate School District area.
The word ‘transience? knocked Moors out of the first place spot, placing her second.
Moors said first place went to Rachel Karas, who took first place for the fifth consecutive year.
Svinarich came in fourth and said she had trouble spelling the word ‘fiefdom.?
Considering the girls just wanted to make it to regionals, they say they are happy with this year’s outcome and are looking forward to next year’s spelling bee competition.
For their second and fourth place finishes, Moors and Svinarich said they received plaques and lots of gift cards from sponsoring companies.
Moors and Svinarich said they each carry a 4.0 G.P.A. (grade point average). They said one of the most important keys to being a good speller in this kind of competition is to ask for the definition of the word and ask that the word be used in a sentence. Then, visualizing the word before they spell it can make all of the difference.
Both girls said the love of reading has made a big impact on their ability to be good spellers.