E-P-I-C: Clarence Middle School Students Compete in Historic Spelling Bee
In an epic battle of words running longer than any seen at Clarence Middle School for more than 20 years, eighth grader Alex Tomasula emerged victorious in the school’s spelling bee.
The victory came as Alex and runner up, fellow eighth grader Allison Mangaser, dueled for 33 rounds and nearly exhausted the word list prepared in advance of the competition. Alex, who had finished in second place in the school’s bee for the last two years, secured the victory in the competition’s 69th round after he correctly spelled Popocatepetl, an active volcano in central Mexico.
“They handled the pressure of being on stage for that many rounds like they had done it 100 times before,” said Lynn Elibol, who organized the school’s bee on January 4. “They were calm, collected and laser focused.”
Elibol said that the competition took more than three hours, and was the longest-running event she had seen in the more than 20 years she had been a part of the school’s competition. For comparison, the last two years' bees ended in the 31st and 25th rounds.
“For them to get through every single word in the book was incredible,” Elibol said.
This year’s event included 30 students, who qualified for the competition after scoring the highest in their grade’s qualifier test.
“It's about seeing the kids excel and shine in a different way outside of the classroom,” Elibol said. “Kids get to showcase a pretty remarkable talent that they have.”
Following his win, Alex will compete in the Regional Spelling Bee in Corning on March 9, with hopes of competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May. With prizes sponsored by the school’s PTO, Alex won a Kindle and a $30 Amazon gift card, while Allison won a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.