Students test spelling skills

As soon as he heard the word correct, Drew Corrigan knew he was the lucky winner of a $500 savings bond. Corrigan was one of 16 students from Sisters who participated in the fifth annual Central Oregon Regional Spelling Bee, held at Summit High School in Bend on Saturday, February 20.

The competition was divided into four divisions, involving over 140 spellers from the region, and representing age groups from kindergarten to eighth grade.

In the K-1 division, Josie Aylor, Allisos Mansfield, Sam Nicklous and Brooke Parker represented Sisters. Both Aylor and Nicklous made it to the sixth round of competition. Alena Albertson, Alina Golden, Nate Kidwell and Jared May participated in the grade 2-3 division.

Grades 4-5 were represented by Michael Commins, Sam Patton, Danny Schlatter and Pierce Wehrle. Patton continued knocking out the words until he was one of three left, when "restaurant" got the better of him.

Xunan Smith of Bear Creek Elementary was the winner of the division, with "ventriloquist."

And in the grade 6-8 division, eighth grader Drew Corrigan out-spelled Mackenzie Ehr, Danielle Rudinsky and Sarah Dumolt, with Dumolt and Corrigan being the final two contestants in the division. Corrigan won with the word "aerosol."

When asked what he did to prepare for such a competition, Corrigan replied "I didn't do anything... I just got lucky I guess!" His proud mother, Merry Ann Moore, plans to put the savings bond into Corrigan's college fund.

Words that the young spellers tackled included eulogy, buoyant, gyration and chateau, as well as grievous, esophagus and apostrophe.

The savings bonds were awarded to the winner of each division and were sponsored by Community First Bank, Trimble Everton Farrens & Mode CPA, Century Insurance Group and Horizon Broadcasting Group.