Islander Middle School students spell ‘impeccably’ well

IMS sixth grader Damien Snyder won the IMS spelling bee, while Nicholas LaCrampe finished in second place and Elaine Shen was third overall. - Contributed photo
Contributed photo
IMS sixth grader Damien Snyder won the IMS spelling bee, while Nicholas LaCrampe finished in second place and Elaine Shen was third overall.

By MEGAN MANAGAN
Mercer Island Reporter Reporter
March 6, 2013 · 9:20 AM

Shortly after school ended on Wednesday, Feb. 27, Islander Middle School students lined up and spelled their way through the rounds of the school’s annual spelling bee.

Around 35 students participated in the bee, which the chance of advancing to the next round, held in Seattle.

Sixth-grade student Damien Snyder was the winner of the bee, correctly spelling “impeccable” for the judges. Before Snyder won a spot in the regional tournament, the bee went back and forth for several rounds in the finals. Spellers in sixth, seventh and eighth grade faced words such as “oscilloscope,” “gelid” and “metastasize” in the closing rounds of the bee. Eighth-grader Nicholas LaCrampe was the bee’s runner-up, while Elaine Shen, also in eighth grade, finished in third place.

This year IMS librarian Denise Radow served as the IMS Bee’s pronouncer, giving each contestant their word, while Victoria Mann, a social studies and language arts teacher at the school, was the judge.

Snyder will compete in the regional bee in Seattle on Sunday, March 24, at 1 p.m.

All of the words in the competition come from the official Merriam Webster and E.E. Scripps company guides. Winners of the regional tournament advance to the National Scripps Bee, which will be held May 28-30.

Contact Mercer Island Reporter Reporter Megan Managan at mmanagan@mi-reporter.com or (206) 232-1215 ext. 5054.

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