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Schools

Joliet Sixth-Grader Wins Will County Spelling Bee

Fiftty-three area students participated in the Will County Spelling Bee at Lewis University. The winner will travel to Washington, D.C., this summer for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Nina Montello, a sixth-grade student at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Catholic school in Joliet, spelled her way to the top at the 2011 Will County Regional Spelling Bee, held Feb. 22 in the fieldhouse. 

Her competition consisted of 52 other students from all over Will County, including second-place winner Tyler Richart, a sixth-grader at in Shorewood, and third-place finisher Ashley Soper, an eighth-grader at Wilmington Middle School in Wilmington. 

Montello’s winning word? "Mozzarella."

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For correctly spelling the name of the Italian cheese, Montello received a one-year subscription to "Britannica Kids" courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica, a $100 U.S. savings bond and a trip to Washington, D.C., for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The trip will be paid for by spelling bee sponsor Commonwealth Edison.

The second- and third-place winners also received a one-year subscription to "Britannica Kids," in addition to a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate donated by the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Richart also received a Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition donated by Merriam Webster. 

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“I was looking at some of the words that they won (with) and I don’t even know what some of them mean, so good luck to you," Will County Regional Superintendnet of Schools Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant told the spellers. "I know you’ll do a good job."” 

Bethany Pemble, a sixth-grader at in Romeoville, approached the microphone first, spelling the word "sultan" correctly.

eighth-grader James Zahorick, who took first in Valley View's spelling bee, finished sixth in the county competition after misspelling "accommodate" in the ninth round.

Jane Addams Middle School eighth-grader Johnathon Cook tied for 11th place, missing the word “dressage” in the fifth round. Words he got right included ventilate, hydrology, enthusiasm and patriarch.

Three other Valley View spellers tied for 23rd place by missing words in the third round. Pemble incorrectly spelled "paradox," eighth-grader Latrisse Belser missed “machismo” and eighth-grader Lajju Sudhakar went out on “knish."

Before the spelling frenzy began, Bertino-Tarrant laid out the rules for the spellers and expressed her appreciation to Lewis University for their sponsorship. 

“We are ever grateful because they helped maintain this very wonderful event” after it was dropped by the Chicago Tribune, Bertino-Tarrant explained.

“(We are) proud to be a sponsor of this region and community and (to) play a small part in the spelling bee," Lewis College of Education Dean Jeanette Mines told Bertino-Tarrant. "It is our privilege to co-sponsor this event with the Will County Superintendent’s Regional Office and Common Wealth Edison.”

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