San Andreas, CA…The 49th Annual Calaveras County Spelling Bee saw some intense spelling competition on Thursday, April 6 at the Calaveras River Academy/Mountain Oaks gymnasium. Fifty students competed from the following schools:
Avery Middle School, Bret Harte High School, Calaveras High School, Christian Family Learning Center, Copperopolis Elementary, Jenny Lind Elementary, Mark Twain Elementary, San Andreas Elementary, Toyon Middle School, Valley Springs Elementary

Assistant Superintendent Scott Nanik, the spelling moderator of the event, read words from the Marin County Junior High Spelling Word List. The students wrote the words down, and proctors checked the students’ efforts to spell them correctly. Each student was allowed to misspell three words before being disqualified. With words like onomatopoeia, hemorrhage, and xenophobia, it was no easy bee.

The audience applauded as each winner in each grade level was announced. The final word, “receipt,” revealed Calaveras High School ninth grader Summer Cummings as this year’s overall winner. She and Mark Twain Elementary School seventh grader Avery Strauch were the top two spellers and will be moving on to compete in the California State Junior High Spelling Bee Championship held Saturday, May 6, 2017 in San Rafael, CA.

Following are all the winners from this year’s countywide Spelling Bee:

6th Grade WINNERS – 1st Place: Cooper Oliver, Avery Middle School
6th Grade WINNERS – 2nd Place: Makenna Robertson, Avery Middle School 6th Grade WINNERS – 3rd Place: Emilee Cunningham, Valley Springs Elementary

7th Grade WINNERS – 1st Place: Avery Strauch, Mark Twain Elementary
7th Grade WINNERS – 2nd Place: Jordan Smith, Avery Middle School
7th Grade WINNERS – 3rd Place: Alexis Horlacher, Toyon Middle School

8th Grade WINNERS – 1st Place: Nick Garibay, Toyon Middle School
8th Grade WINNERS – 2nd Place: Jackson Oliver, Avery Middle School
8th Grade WINNERS – 3rd Place: Emmaline Rath, Toyon Middle School

9th Grade WINNERS – 1st Place: Summer Cummings, Calaveras High School
9th Grade WINNERS – 2st Place: Dan Abando, Bret Harte High School
9th Grade WINNERS – 3rd Place: Elizabeth Enderlein, Calaveras Harte High School

TOP TWO WINNERS GOING ON TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Summer Cummings, from Calaveras High School, and Avery Strauch, from Mark Twain Elementary School

Calaveras County Office of Education congratulates the winners, as well as all the students who attended the event.

For further information, please contact Lauren Robinson at the Calaveras County Office of Education, (209) 736-6094.

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