25 students competed in Saturday’s Regional Spelling Bee at SUNY Oneonta’s Goodrich Theater. The 5th-8th graders represented 13 area schools. (Photo from DCMO BOCES)

ONEONTA – The 23rd Annual Regional Spelling Bee was held on Saturday in the Goodrich Theater, SUNY Oneonta. 25 students from 13 school districts competed in this year’s regional event, having won earlier at their school’s local spelling bee.

Margot Fieni, an 8th grade student from Oneonta City Schools, correctly spelled “Burmese” in the 16th round and was declared the winner of this year’s regional competition. The victory earns Margot the chance to travel to National Harbor, Maryland in late May to compete against more than 200 other spellers from around the country and the world at the 100th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“Bee Week,” as it’s called, is a week-long experience for the students and their families that includes special events, educational workshops, excursions into Washington, D.C. and three days of nationally-televised spelling competition.

Mary Dugan, a former competitor in the spelling bee competitions, was the master of ceremonies for Saturday’s event. Robert Avery, Director of Services at DCMO BOCES, gave remarks and presented the students with their awards.

Paul French was the pronouncer, carefully enunciating, defining and demonstrating usage of the word for each student. Judges were Julia Suarez Hayes and Robert Avery, and Frank Oliver served as word recorder.

Many teachers and families of the spellers attended the event at the Goodrich Theater, and it was also livestreamed by DCMO BOCES. Afterwards, students posed for pictures with each other and with “Sprout,” the mascot of Sidney Federal Credit Union, one of the event sponsors. According to Martha Ryan, DCMO BOCES Enrichment Coordinator and Regional Spelling Bee Coordinator, “It was very exciting– the words were very rigorous. These remarkable students expanded their vocabulary and tested their public speaking skills.  They were so supportive of each other.”

The regional spelling bee is sponsored by The Daily Star, along with ONC BOCES and DCMO BOCES. SFCU and Catskill Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery are Bee Fund Sponsors. Other local sponsors include Benson Agency Real Estate LLC, Cobleskill Stone Products, Community Bank, N.A., L.W. Morse & Sons, Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home, Reinhardt Corporation, T.S. Pink Corporation, Vanessa Warren and Linda Zaczek.

The students who participated in Saturday’s Regional Spelling Bee were Khloe Wayman and Roman Lucchese from Afton Central School, Julian Anderson and Kimberli Leavitt from Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School, Zoletta Palmer and Fox Gheen from Cooperstown Central School, Solon Staples and Lena Folts from Edmeston Central School, Mike Tubon and Colin Tyree from Gilboa-Conesville Central School, Zachariah Wells and Denzel DePaula from Margaretville Central School, Ariana Sedlar from Milford Central School, Michael Coffyn and Rowan Schoellig from Morris Central School, Margot Fieni and Eli Cotter from Oneonta City Schools, Michaela Tucker and Sophia Carr from Roxbury Central School, Brooklynn Trimbell from Stamford Central School, Carter Burroughs from South Kortright Central School, Kevin Keegan and Krishna Dutt from Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School, and Hailey Zabelicky and Annika Penn from Worcester Central School.

For more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, visit spellingbee.com. For more information about DCMO BOCES, visit www.dcmoboces.com. The video of the competition can be found on the Spelling Bee Program page of the DCMO BOCES website.

- Information from DCMO BOCES