MONROE - A Monroe Middle School sixth-grader won her second district spelling bee Wednesday.
Last year, Northside Elementary School student Lola Endicott spelled her way to the statewide spelling bee. Now, one year later, 12-year-old Endicott handily won the district-wide spelling bee again as a Monroe Middle School student.
Endicott defeated 51 other students ranging from fifth- to eighth-graders from the Abraham Lincoln, Northside, Parkside and St. Victor elementary schools and the Monroe Middle School after six rounds of competition at the middle school auditorium.
In second place came Monroe Middle School seventh-grader Logan Ferreri. Sixth-grader Jared Batz took third place, while eighth-grader Kollin Zahradka came in fourth.
Endicott won by correctly spelling the word "distribute" after she took the advantage from Ferreri by correctly spelling "conducive" after he misspelled the word. Throughout the competition, Endicott rarely hesitated in her responses, although she narrowly avoided defeat when she misspelled "codify" in the final round and was only spared when Ferreri also failed to correctly spell the word.
Endicott said she prepared for the competition by working through a list of words provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee with her parents.
The words at the district bee ranged from the simple - like "rivet" and "mildew" - to the deceptive - such as "poplar" or "gnarled" - to unusual and elaborate words like "conflagration," "clodhopper" or "overweening."
Endicott said she didn't feel any more or less confident Wednesday than she did last year, despite last year's win.
"I don't think I'll do as well this time," Endicott said, attributing her success at last year's bee to "beginner's luck."
Nonetheless, Endicott said she would still practice with the word lists until the regional bee in February, where she will face the champions of the 48 other districts in the CESA 2 region, which includes Dane, Rock, Jefferson, Walworth, Racine/Kenosha and Green counties.
Last year, Northside Elementary School student Lola Endicott spelled her way to the statewide spelling bee. Now, one year later, 12-year-old Endicott handily won the district-wide spelling bee again as a Monroe Middle School student.
Endicott defeated 51 other students ranging from fifth- to eighth-graders from the Abraham Lincoln, Northside, Parkside and St. Victor elementary schools and the Monroe Middle School after six rounds of competition at the middle school auditorium.
In second place came Monroe Middle School seventh-grader Logan Ferreri. Sixth-grader Jared Batz took third place, while eighth-grader Kollin Zahradka came in fourth.
Endicott won by correctly spelling the word "distribute" after she took the advantage from Ferreri by correctly spelling "conducive" after he misspelled the word. Throughout the competition, Endicott rarely hesitated in her responses, although she narrowly avoided defeat when she misspelled "codify" in the final round and was only spared when Ferreri also failed to correctly spell the word.
Endicott said she prepared for the competition by working through a list of words provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee with her parents.
The words at the district bee ranged from the simple - like "rivet" and "mildew" - to the deceptive - such as "poplar" or "gnarled" - to unusual and elaborate words like "conflagration," "clodhopper" or "overweening."
Endicott said she didn't feel any more or less confident Wednesday than she did last year, despite last year's win.
"I don't think I'll do as well this time," Endicott said, attributing her success at last year's bee to "beginner's luck."
Nonetheless, Endicott said she would still practice with the word lists until the regional bee in February, where she will face the champions of the 48 other districts in the CESA 2 region, which includes Dane, Rock, Jefferson, Walworth, Racine/Kenosha and Green counties.