Different year, same story.
Louisa County Middle School eighth-grader Lucy Montana took home the first place trophy for the 2019 Louisa County Public Schools Spelling Bee on Wednesday, January 23rd. The victory marked her second consecutive year finishing in the top spot of the school division’s annual Spelling Bee!
Montana’s triumph came in one of the longest LCPS Spelling Bees in recent memory, lasting 17 rounds and nearly one hour.
The field of 30 spellers was narrowed down to just three by the fifth round, with Montana and her fellow LCMS classmates Maeve Myers and Hannah Ryan vying for the title. Myers was tripped up by the word “fiery” in the ninth round, and Ryan misspelled “vibrato” in the sixteenth round. During the trio’s competition for the top spot, they successfully rolled through several unique words, such as “muumuu,” “boutique,” “canasta,” and “praline.”
Afterwards, superintendent Doug Straley commended all of the competitors for their performance.
“Every one of the students that participated here tonight was a champion,” Straley said. “They earned their right to be here. I’m so proud of all of them for the hard work and long hours of studying they put in, and it showed, because they did a fantastic job.”
Indeed, the spellers who participated were more than qualified. In total, more than 1,500 LCPS students competed to qualify for a spot in the bee, with LCMS and all four elementary schools hosting their own bees. The 30 contestants in the 2019 LCPS Spelling Bee earned their spot by finishing as the first or second-place speller in their grade level.
As the winner of the 2019 LCPS Spelling Bee, Montana will now move on to compete in the 45th annual Richmond Times-Dispatch Spelling Bee. By virtue of finishing as the runner-up, Ryan will serve as the alternate.
There’s more good news for Ryan as well. As a seventh grader, she has one more year of eligibility and thus can return to compete in the 2020 LCPS Spelling Bee.
Judges for this year’s Spelling Bee were former LCPS administrator Larry Lewis, former editor of The Central Virginian Cathy Collins, and current editor of The Central Virginian Deana Meredith. Barbara Wilson served as the pronouncer.
Louisa County Public Schools would like to extend thanks to Virginia Community Bank, UVA Community Credit Union, Chisholm Construction, and Crystal Norbeck with Valere Real Estate for sponsoring the 2019 LCPS Spelling Bee.
For photos from the 2019 LCPS Spelling Bee, follow “Louisa County Public Schools” on Facebook or click here!