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Getting the last word
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Marana students compete in district event, prep for county competition
By Randy Metcalf, The Explorer
After eliminating more than 5,500 students, then narrowing the field to nearly 30 students over the course of two months, it all came down to two sixth-graders during the Marana Unified School District’s spelling bee.
It was time for the annual district faceoff.
Little by little the group of students dwindled.
Words like “disconsolate,” “lethargy,” “charades” and “martyr” were put to the students during multiple rounds at the microphone.
Some would ask for definitions and to have the word used in a sentence, while others spelled the word they heard without a moment’s hesitation.
After nearly a dozen rounds, all of the students had to leave the stage after misspelling their words save for two sixth-graders — 11-year-old Naomi Nabahe and 12-year-old Zach Henley.
Back and forth they swapped words like “chauffeur,” “pharmaceutical,” “archeology” and “recalcitrant.”
After nearly 10 minutes, Zach misspelled “debilitate.” Naomi spelled it correctly and then won the spelling bee by correctly spelling “asthma.”
“She didn’t practice at all, she just reads like crazy,” said Hanni Nabahe, Naomi’s mother. “She reads an incredible amount and she writes stories, too. Last night we printed out certain tips on certain words, but she wasn’t feeling well.”
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the auditorium at Mountain View High School was filled with family and friends of the 28 students participating in the regional spelling bee.
Of those elite students, three finalists and one alternate will be sent to the Pima County spelling bee to be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Berger Performing Arts Center at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind.
Before the start of the Marana competition, 12-year-old Aaron Bravin was one of the students getting a pep talk from his mother Kisha. It was his second spelling bee, and she was reminding him to stay calm and to spell slowly.
Zach Henley from Roadrunner Elementary School sat quietly fiddling with the number tag that hung loosely around his neck. Emily Oliver from Marana Middle School bit her bottom lip as she waited for the start of the district spelling bee. Naomi Nabahe from Ironwood Elementary sat quietly with her hands in her lap, looking from side to side at her other competitors.
“I have stage fright so I was really kind of nervous and afraid I was going to do horribly,” Zach said.
The night before, he looked through the dictionary for hard and intimidating words — like those in French and Latin — to study.
“When I was young, I started to like spelling because I just thought it was interesting to find new words and to find out what they mean,” Zach said.
After the competition, Naomi said that once it came down to her and Zach, she had calmed down. She knew she already was going to the Pima County Spelling Bee.
“I’ve always been better at spelling than doing math,” Naomi said.
She had participated in the past two spelling bees but messed up on simple words, mistakes she didn’t make Jan. 28.
Asked what comes to mind when she draws a difficult word, Naomi replied: “I just try to do my best, and if I don’t get it, there’s next time.”
It was time for the annual district faceoff.
Little by little the group of students dwindled.
Words like “disconsolate,” “lethargy,” “charades” and “martyr” were put to the students during multiple rounds at the microphone.
Some would ask for definitions and to have the word used in a sentence, while others spelled the word they heard without a moment’s hesitation.
After nearly a dozen rounds, all of the students had to leave the stage after misspelling their words save for two sixth-graders — 11-year-old Naomi Nabahe and 12-year-old Zach Henley.
Back and forth they swapped words like “chauffeur,” “pharmaceutical,” “archeology” and “recalcitrant.”
After nearly 10 minutes, Zach misspelled “debilitate.” Naomi spelled it correctly and then won the spelling bee by correctly spelling “asthma.”
“She didn’t practice at all, she just reads like crazy,” said Hanni Nabahe, Naomi’s mother. “She reads an incredible amount and she writes stories, too. Last night we printed out certain tips on certain words, but she wasn’t feeling well.”
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the auditorium at Mountain View High School was filled with family and friends of the 28 students participating in the regional spelling bee.
Of those elite students, three finalists and one alternate will be sent to the Pima County spelling bee to be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Berger Performing Arts Center at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind.
Before the start of the Marana competition, 12-year-old Aaron Bravin was one of the students getting a pep talk from his mother Kisha. It was his second spelling bee, and she was reminding him to stay calm and to spell slowly.
Zach Henley from Roadrunner Elementary School sat quietly fiddling with the number tag that hung loosely around his neck. Emily Oliver from Marana Middle School bit her bottom lip as she waited for the start of the district spelling bee. Naomi Nabahe from Ironwood Elementary sat quietly with her hands in her lap, looking from side to side at her other competitors.
“I have stage fright so I was really kind of nervous and afraid I was going to do horribly,” Zach said.
The night before, he looked through the dictionary for hard and intimidating words — like those in French and Latin — to study.
“When I was young, I started to like spelling because I just thought it was interesting to find new words and to find out what they mean,” Zach said.
After the competition, Naomi said that once it came down to her and Zach, she had calmed down. She knew she already was going to the Pima County Spelling Bee.
“I’ve always been better at spelling than doing math,” Naomi said.
She had participated in the past two spelling bees but messed up on simple words, mistakes she didn’t make Jan. 28.
Asked what comes to mind when she draws a difficult word, Naomi replied: “I just try to do my best, and if I don’t get it, there’s next time.”
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ashley wrote on Nov 10, 2009 10:13 AM: