Warda Alam is this year’s San Benito County Spelling Bee
champion. She competed in the Junior High competition last
Wednesday night, along with 17 other finalists.
Warda Alam is this year’s San Benito County Spelling Bee champion. She competed in the Junior High competition last Wednesday night, along with 17 other finalists.
Alam is in seventh grade at Rancho San Justo. Last year she went to the State competition in Sonoma, after taking second place in the elementary round of competition at the county spelling bee. When asked how she felt about making it to the state competition again she said, “I feel even better getting first place. I trained really hard. My brother helped me a lot. So did my mom, my aunt and Ms. Larabell.”
Nathalie Ferare will also be going to the state competition in San Rafael on May 15. Nathalie is an eighth grader at Southside.
She was very happy with her second place finish. “It’s cool,” she said, “because it’s my last time to be in the competition, and I really wanted to go to state. I’m glad I got second ’cause now I’m color coordinated!”
Ferare came to the spelling bee straight from her soccer game. She was wearing her uniform, which is red and gold. Conveniently, the second place trophy she won is also red and gold.
Alam and Ferare went back and forth for eight words before Ferare missed the correct spelling of “hibernate” by one letter. Alam then had to correctly spell “hibernate” and the next word, “historical,” for the win. It was obvious both the girls were well-prepared and confident. They had some serious competition, though.
The top six finalists went for several rounds before it got down to the final two.
Carolyn Madson, a seventh grader at Bitterwater Tully, took third place. She’s competed in the competition in previous years and her experience seems to have helped. “This was probably the most calm I’ve ever been,” she said. “It was a lot of fun and everyone was really nice.”
John England, who came in fourth, was excited about his success and ready to prepare for next year. “My last word was hard, and I really want to try hard next year,” he said.
John is in seventh grade at Rancho. His language arts teacher, Ms. Larabell, helped him prepare for Wednesday night. Ms. Larabell has been a strong supporter of the San Benito County Spelling Bee for years. She’s helped many students succeed in this competition.
Kim O’Connor, the coordinator of the San Benito County Spelling Bee, is another person committed to the success of young people. She’s faithfully organized the spelling bee for years, and done an excellent job each time. This year was no exception. She hosted the evening, along with Tim Foley, the county superintendent of schools.
Foley, usually judges, as well, but he couldn’t this time because his daughter Ila was one of the competing finalists. The judges for the evening were Michael O’Connor, Julane Lyman and Kim Dryden.
