Spelling Bee champs now head to regionals
There’s no spell check in the Arlington ISD Area Spelling Bee. It’s practice that pays off.
For Morgan Garner, a fifth grader from Jones Academy of Dual Language and Fine Arts, and Will Farnell, a sixth grader from Ditto Elementary, it sure did.
Out of 61 participants, both students took home the championship titles for areas 7 and 8 last week.
“It’s crazy,” said Garner. “I feel really good.”
After placing 12th and fifth in his first and second bee, Garner won this year’s Area 8 competition in the fifth round with the winning word “embryo,” an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development.
“I’ve tried for years for this,” he said. “I study for about 30 minutes to an hour every day.”
And the practice isn’t over yet. Both winners will be headed to Texas Christian University to participate in the regional spelling bee on March 5.
“It’s nerve-wracking, but I’m excited,” said Garner.
Farnell’s victory came in the sixth round of the Area 7 competition with the word “octuplicate,” meaning to have or consist of eight identical parts.
While the word may have seemed foreign to most, Farnell approached it with a simple strategy.
“I thought of the word duplicate, so it was just duplicate but eight,” he said.
This year’s bee was not the first for Farnell either. He placed fourth when he was in fourth grade.
As the younger brother of a previous spelling bee champion, it even runs in the family.
“I didn’t expect it, but I’m happy,” said Farnell.
As these super spellers prepare to represent their schools and Arlington ISD on a larger stage, their victories serve as a testament to their hard work and dedication.
They’re ready to spell their way to success, one word at a time!