Adam Karschnik spells his way to the title; Ian Penner earns runner-up
Mountain Lake Public School (MLPS) Spelling Bee words from “towel” to”contentious” were pronounced through the rounds to separate the beginning field of spellers in the 2016 edition to the eventual champion.
Topping the field of 14 spellers, and advancing to the South Central Service Cooperative Regional Spelling Bee, was eighth-grader Adam Karschnik, son of Kent and Kim Karschnik of rural Mountain Lake.
Finishing as runner-up was sixth-grader Ian Penner, son of Jason and Laura Penner of rural Butterfield.
The top pair of spellers faced off for 20 words between the two of them until a champion was recognized. Adam correctly spelled the word, “approximate,” allowing him to move on to “contentious,” which he recited exactly as is published in Webster’s Dictionary, to clinch the title.
This year’s Bee was held Thursday afternoon, January 21, in the school’s elementary library. Pronouncer was Jean Haberman, with Elementary Principal Karl Wassman and Amy Hartzler, school social worker, spelling judges and Hartzler also cuing the rounds.
Throughout the Bee, the spellmasters from grades five-through-eight had to crack the spelling code for words that included “bonkers,” “calico,” “hubbub,” “worrywort,” “Americana,” “moxie,” “hoity-toity,” “columnist,” “cyberspace,” “enunciate,” “polemic,” anorak,” “quid pro quo,” “iambic,” “pathogen,” “cylindrical,” “pinnacle” and “stagflation” – amongst others.
The school’s annual Spelling Bee featured two students from each of the fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms, two from seventh-grade and four spellers representing the eighth-grade.
The South Central Service Cooperative Regional Spelling Bee will be held in the Conference Center at South Central College in North Mankato on Tuesday, February 23, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The winner of the Regional Spelling Bee advances to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C., to be held the last week of May.
South Central Service Cooperative sponsors the Spelling Bee for the South-Central Region of Minnesota. Counties covered by this event include both Cottonwood and Watonwan Counties, along with Blue Earth, Brow, Faribault, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley and Waseca Counties.
The Scripp’s National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scripps Company, along with local spelling bee sponsors in the United States, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense Schools in Europe; also, the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea
The purpose of the series of Spelling Bees is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.
For his efforts, Adam received a medal and a Webster’s Dictionary/Thesaurus, certificate and pencil.
Runner-up Ian received a medal, certificate and pencil.
The remaining participants each received a certificate and a pencil.
Competing in the Spelling Bee were:
+ Fifth Grade – Brody Kleven, Alana Morey, Michala Morin and Kaelynn Pietsch.
+ Sixth Grade – Olivia Klassen, Olivia Christians, Ian Penner and Kayne Chanthaviseth.
+ Seventh Grade – Sabrina Hanson and Kiana Peters.
+ Eighth grade – Emma Stade, Adam Karschnik, Paton Buller and Jon Faber.
