Story wins SeDoMoCha spelling bee
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Eighth-grader Izzy Story earned top honors at the 10th annual SeDoMoCha Middle School District Spelling Bee on the evening of Jan. 23. Story will now go on to represent Piscataquis County at the Maine State Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Portland Press Herald and scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, March 21 at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.
The three runners-up were fifth-grades Jenna Hartford, Autumn Hosley and seventh-grader Alexis Heretakis.
Photo courtesy of SeDoMoCha School
SPELLING BEE WINNERS — Eighth-grader Izzy Story, second from right, is the 2020 SeDoMoCha Middle School District Spelling Bee winner after finishing in first place at the Jan. 23 competition and earning the right to represent Piscataquis County at the Maine State Spelling Bee in March at the University of Southern Maine. Runners-up pictured with Story are, from left, seventh-grader Alexis Heretakis and fifth-graders Autumn Hosley and Jenna Hartford.
Classroom teachers across the four grades invite students to take part in the bee and four finalists from each grade move on to the school-level bee. Qualifying for the 2020 competition were grade five: Jenna Hartford, Autumn Hosley, Madison Sands and Jaiden Ward; grade six: Landon Ladd, Kayla Lamour, Ryan McLellan and Landon Smith; grade seven: Ingrid Berling, Alexis Heretakis, Calvin Landry and Devonne Ward; and grade eight: Jack Kingsbury, Dominick Scuderi, Izzy Story and Karson Tibbetts.
After the bee each student was presented with a certificate for qualifying, with the words they spelled correctly written on the back.
Retired grade 8 social studies teacher Dyan McCarthy-Clark again served as the bee pronouncer and Principal Adam Gudroe, Assistant Principal Andrew Shaw and school secretary Sue McNulty each took another turn behind the judges’ table.
Story joins previous winners Adam Taylor last year, Nathanael Brown two years ago, Taylor’s 2017 first-place finish, his older sister Madeline Taylor in 2016, Steffi Victoria who earned top honors in 2015 and 2014, Phoenix Eastman in 2013, Jenna Clukey in 2012 and Shania Roussel at the inaugural bee in 2011.
Photo courtesy of SeDoMoCha School
SEDOMOCHA’S BEST WORDSMITHS — The top grade 5-8 spellers at SeDoMoCha Middle School in Dover-Foxcroft competed for a chance to advance to the Maine State Spelling Bee in March at the University of Southern Maine in Portland during the school’s 10h annual district spelling bee on Jan. 23.