UNDER HER SPELL

The top three spellers at the Marion County Spelling Bee Wednesday at Goessel gather for a photo. Joining the champion, MaryElena Heyen of Hillsboro are runner-up Jaedan McMillin, a fifth-grader from Marion, and third-place winner Brooke Nafziger, an eighth-grader from Goessel.by Don Ratzlaff

The Free Press

Apparently, studying a word list isn?t the only way to do well at a competitive spelling bee.

MaryElena Heyen, a seventh grader at Hillsboro Mid?dle School, surprised even herself when she claimed the top prize at the annual Marion County Spelling Bee last Wednesday.

?I didn?t really expect to win because I didn?t spend that much time studying,? she said. ?So, it was a real special moment. I was very excited that I actually got that far.?

So what was her secret for success?

?I read a lot, so (I) see a lot of words,? she said. ?I read pretty big books, too.?

Heyen joined 19 other spellers from the five school districts on the auditorium stage at Goessel Junior/Senior High School.

The competition ended about 40 minutes later when Heyen correctly spelled ?panzer,? which is a German armored vehicle used in World War II.

Heyen said she was unfamiliar with the word when it was announced.

?I didn?t know if it was going to be one of those words that isn?t actually spelled how you think it would be,? she said. ?I just sounded it out and hoped for the best.?

The field of 20 spellers dwindled quickly with each round. Six students took their seats during the first round for misspelling words ranging from ?bakery? to ?gnat.?

Six additional students took their seat in the second round and then six more in Round 3.

That left three spellers standing for Round 4. Brooke Nafziger, an eighth grader from Goessel, slipped on ?xylophone? to claim third place.

Heyen?s first opportunity to win occurred in Round 5. After she correctly spelled ?cauliflower,? her remaining challenger, Jaedan McMillin, a fifth-grader from Marion, incorrectly spelled ?sitzmark,? which is the depression made in snow by a skier who has fallen backward.

Under contest rules, Heyen was required to spell one more word correctly to nail down the title. Unfor?tunately, the word was ?dugong,? which is a walrus-like mammal that lives along the tropical shores of the Indian Ocean.

When Heyen missed the word, she and McMillin continued into the next round of competition. After Heyen spelled ?yacht? correctly, McMillin misspelled ?sombrero,? giving Heyen another chance at the title.MaryElena spells her word during the practice round prior to the official start of the Marion County Spelling Bee in Goessel Wednesday morning. The Hillsboro seventh-grader won the competition when she spelled ?panzer? correctly.

Heyen pulled out the heavy artillery with the correct spelling of ?panzer.?

As the Marion County winner, Heyen has qualified for the state spelling bee March 5 in Hays.

?I think it would be really cool to win state, but I know there?s going to be a bunch of other really good spellers going to state,? she said. ?I?ll do my best, but there?s probably a bunch of people going to state who are better than me.?

Heyen said her classmates back at Hillsboro were excited to hear of her conquest.

?All my friends would scream when I told them,? she said.This year?s crop of top spellers pose for a group shot holding their participation certificates following the bee.

Following are the qualifying students from each of the five school districts.

? Centre: Jessica Williams, fifth grade; Emily Casey, sixth grade; Jensen Riffel, eighth grade; Braxton Smith, eighth grade.

? Goessel: Miranda Tyler, fourth grade; Justin Nickel, fifth grade; Gabrielle Ben?son, eighth grade; and Brooke Nafziger eighth grade.

? Hillsboro: Ashley Peters, fourth grade; Karly Loewen, fifth grade; Mary?Elena Heyen, seventh grade; Surinda Bell, eighth grade.

? Marion: Lexi Wilson, third grade; Jaedan McMil?lin, fifth grade; Tristan Williams, seventh grade; Cassie Meyer, eighth grade.

? Peabody-Burns: Lexi Davis, fifth grade; 16. Kael Hutchison, fifth gade; Sarah Spencer, sixth grade; Amber Cubbage, seventh grade.

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