Byrd fifth grader Maddie Seibold.tied with Coleman's Sara LoPiccolo (see inset) for first place at the annual spelling bee sponsored by Glen Rock Women in Community Service. (W.I.C.S.)
Both girls received a $50 savings bond and a gift certificate from Books, Bytes and Beyond.
Mayor VanKeuren, was this year's official "Pronouncer" of the Spelling Bee and Mrs. Stanley, one of Byrd's fifth grade teachers, was one of the judges. Each Glen Rock elementary school had a teacher on the panel.
Congratulations, Maddie!
Last seven spellers standing* Following the co-champions were: Central School - Cressida Adler, 5th Grade
- Eva Zaydman, 5th Grade Coleman School
- Tyler Hirschfeld, 5th Grade
- Elizabeth Miller, 5th Grade
- Zachary Forstot, 4th Grade
Academy of Our Lady - Christopher Koontz, 4th Grade
Village School - Jordan Schildkraut, 4th Grade
*All received Books, Bytes and Beyond gift certificates |
Spellbound
When the competition was finally down to two finalists, neither girl could spell two consecutive words correctly. According to the rules at that point, when someone spells a word incorrectly, the other contestant needs to spell that word correctly and one more word correctly to be crowned champion.
According to Maddie, "Sara and I went back and forth so many times (22 times) and I was so tired, that I can't even remember what word we stopped on. During the time, the only words that I remember spelling were: condolences, phenomenon and synonym. By the end of the night, we were so tired that my mom said that one of us would spell a word wrong and then the other would spell it the exact same way without even realizing it!"
The judges and Andrea Vachon, Education chairperson for Glen Rock W.I.C.S., finally opted for co-champions. Both girls (and their families) were thrilled.
The last word...
The last word of the Bee was H-A-L-L-U-C-I-N-A-T-I-O-N .