Published: February 02, 2008 11:26 pm            

Pupils compete for title at St. Francis’ 32nd annual Spelling Bee

LORETTO — Dorothea Oller said that she when she’s spelling a word, she goes through it in chunks and tries to think if she’s ever seen it before. She even uses her finger and writes the word on her arm.

Her strategies apparently work.

The sixth-grader from Westmont Hilltop Middle School won the 32nd annual St. Francis University Spelling Bee on Saturday, and judging from the huge smile on her face she couldn’t have been more thrilled.

“This is crazy to win,” the 10-year-old said after the competition. “I hoped for the best, but thought I’d be out by the second round.”

After hours of competition, Dorothea beat out 59 other sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade area pupils by correctly spelling the word “mimeograph.” A mimeograph is a duplicating machine that uses a stencil consisting of a coated fiber sheet through which ink is pressed.

“I’ve always been pretty good at spelling, and I’m an avid reader,” she said.

Dorothea, who won the spelling bee at her school to make it to the St. Francis bee, prepared by working with her coach, Marilyn McClelland, a fifth-grade teacher at Westmont Hilltop Middle School.

“We spend lunches going over words and talking about the bee,” she said.

Dorothea’s father, Erik, said he was proud of his daughter because she has worked so hard on perfecting her spelling skills.

“She kept her cool up there and stayed calm under the pressure,” he said. “She has a lot of encouragement and teachers working with her.”

Likewise, McClelland was overjoyed to see Dorothea win.

“This is exciting and wonderful,” she said. “She’s only in sixth-grader and young, so it’s a great accomplishment.”

Next up for Dorothea is a trip to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette spelling bee on March 15 on the University of Pittsburgh campus. That means more practicing, because she will be going up against some of the best spellers in the state.

“I’ll be quizzing myself and going over and over words,” she said.

Amanda Stoehr, spelling bee director and assistant director of marketing and public affairs at St. Francis, said the bee is about everyone having fun and enjoying themselves.

“We like to have the opportunity to host this and challenge the students to become better spellers,” she said.

As for how Dorothea was going to celebrate her win, she wasn’t sure.

“I’m going to go home and jump up and down,” she said with a laugh.

Finishing just behind Dorothea were Larissa Cooley, an eighth-grader from Our Mother of Sorrows Roman Catholic School, first runner-up; and Amanda Royer, an eighth-grader from Harmony Area School District, second-runner up.

        

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