Student competition turns on 'meniscus'

Published on March 4th, 2010

By CINTHIA RITCHIE

Uriah Ahsoak from Eben Hopson Memorial Middle School in Barrow competes last week at the Alaska State Spelling Bee. For more on the event, see Page 13. (Beth Skabar, Alaska Newspapers)

Isaiah Gumlickpuk of Koliganek School competes during the first round of the Alaska State Spelling Bee in Anchorage last week. (Beth Skabar, Alaska Newspapers)

Terrence Henry from Bethel Regional High School waits for his turn to spell during the second round at the Alaska State Spelling Bee. (Beth Skabar, Alaska Newspapers)

Kaylee Bendixen of King Cove School waits for her turn to compete in the state spelling bee. (Beth Skabar, Alaska Newspapers)

Sara Tolson from Seward Elementary School competes in the first round at the Alaska State Spelling Bee. (Beth Skabar, Alaska Newspapers)

It came down to a crescent shaped body. A fibrocartilaginous structure, to be exact, found in the human knee, but that's beside the point.

The point is the word: Meniscus.

And the fact that eighth-grade Craig Middle School student Olive Price knew how to spell it, earning him a shiny trophy, a big fat dictionary and the 2010 Alaska State Spelling Bee title.

Price beat out second place winner Brayden Wrightson from Dzantik'I Heeni Middle School in Juneau, who missed on the word obumbrate (which, if you don't know, is defined as obsolete or hidden under a projection).

This year's Alaska State Spelling Bee took place at the Discovery Theatre in Anchorage on Feb. 26. Over 150 elementary and middle school students braved the long walk across the stage to stand in front of a microphone and fidget, grimace and stumble over words such as interrupt, epiphany, castanets and sashimi.

By the time the first round was over, more than 60 spellers had fallen.

Johnnie Johnson, a sixth-grader from Angoon Elementary School, was fortunate enough to make it to the second round. It was his first time at the state bee.

"I don't practice much," he said. "I just spell."

He wasn't nervous about being on stage either.

"I don't think about it," he said. "It's just fun."

Rowan Sharman, a seventh-grade student at Gustavus School, was also at the bee for the first time.

"I feel ready," he said before the second round, even though he hadn't studied as much as he intended.

"My dad and I had big study plans but we didn't do as much as we wanted," he said.

Molly Moses, a six-grader from Unalakleet School did do a lot of studying, mostly off the handout list which, it turned out, was the wrong list.

"Oh well," she said with a shrug.

Moses likes to spell because it gives her the opportunity to travel and meet new people.

"Plus it's fun," she said. "Except up on the stage. It's scary being up on the stage."

Jina Yu from Sand Lake Elementary in Anchorage, Kendall Williams from Northern Lights ABC School in Anchorage and Sasha Mackowiak from Idea Southeast in Haines all tied for third place.

Winner Price will represent Alaska at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in late May.