By Bill Petzold
Editor
KINGSTON — There was only one word in the whole wide world that Emma Hook didn’t want to hear: “kaleidoscope.”
But when Emma, a 4th grader in Mrs. Janke’s class at Vassar Central Elementary School correctly spelled the words “pilot” and “wasp” back-to-back, she was named this year’s Tuscola County spelling champion.
On Thursday, twenty-four of the county’s best spellers took the stage at Kingston Elementary School for the 34th annual Tuscola County Fourth Grade Spelling Bee.
Emma edged runner-up Bryce Campbell of Caro and third-place finisher Hannah Cook of Millington to earn the first place trophy. Kingston Elementary principal Lane Walker said that since it was his school’s turn to host, he ordered the biggest first place trophy he could find for the winner.
The competition is hosted by a different county school each year, with Mayville hosting in 2015-16 school year and Reese scheduled to host in 2016-17. It had been nine years since Kingston hosted, and Walker said he took the spelling bee as a chance to roll out the red carpet and welcome students from around the county to Kingston.
Competing in the competition were Devin Gray of Akron-Fairgrove, Opal Richardson, Kade Oper, Isabella Park and Arryelle Wiesen of Caro, Lukas Sheridan, Kylie McGrath and Chloee Jaworski was Cass City, Ethan Green and Addison Lipe of Kingston, Paeton Loper and Xaven Smith of Mayville, Cody Stephen, Erin Fitch and Austin Harrington of Millington, Breanna DeLorey and Brandin Mendoza of Reese, Dirk Rierson and Mya Loeffler of Unionville-Sebewaing, and Jenna Gleeson and Gage Jacobs of Vassar.
Some of the words the group spelled in the competition included pigeon, equator, oasis, enough, missile, worry, vulgar, flannel, argument, bugle, calculate, rather and invite.
The spelling bee was overseen by pronouncer Shelly Terbush and judges Barb Jenshak and Lori Thomas and sponsored by The Kent Kramer Foundation and Caro McDonald’s.
Bill Petzold is the editor of the Tuscola County Advertiser. He can be reached at petzold@tcadvertiser.com.