Eighty-four young spellers gathered for the 2022 Sunflower State Spelling Bee Saturday, March 26, on the Newman University campus.
Suspenseful, nervous and hopeful energy emanated from the spellers and their family members who filled the seats of the DeMattias Performance Hall.
“Some spellers train year-round for spelling bee events, studying multiple hours per week,” said Amber Jackson, advertising director of the Kansas Press Association, which sponsors the state spelling bee. “There was such good energy; after two years of virtual, I think everyone was just excited to be back in person.”
Spelling in style
Participation in the spelling bee provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in public speaking and performing under pressure.
The state spelling bee competition is open to all students in eighth grade and younger attending an enrolled school in Kansas. Students are encouraged to set personal goals and dedicate time to study the Scripps National Spelling Bee “Words of the Champions” list of 4,000 words.
Associate Professor of English Susan Crane-Laracuente served as the spelling bee’s pronouncer — a job not taken lightly. Crane-Laracuente has filled this role for multiple years and is familiar with the steady, dictionary-exact vocalization required in delivering each word to the ready-to-spell contestant.
“I try not to go too quickly to help every single student to do the best they can with the information that’s provided,” Crane-Laracuente said. “For something as high stakes as the state spelling bee, you want to be as reassuring and organized as possible to keep it as fair and calm as it can be.”
With spelling bees being “somewhat obscure competitions,” Crane-Laracuente said she appreciated the role she played as the reader of the words.
“It’s nice to feel useful for all this esoteric knowledge about phonology that I have,” Crane-Laracuente said with a smile. “I can actually apply it for a day in a very intense and focused way.”
2022 Sunflower State Spelling Bee champion
The winner of the 2022 Sunflower State Spelling Bee was eighth-grader Eli Cokelet of Lawrence, Kansas.
According to an article published by the Lawrence Times, Cokelet’s correct spelling of the word “provender,” meaning dry food for domesticated animals, won him the 2022 title.
Coklelet will advance to compete in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer near Washington, D.C. Both the semifinals and finals on June 1 and 2 will be televised on national networks ION and Bounce and hosted by LeVar Burton, an accomplished actor, director, educator and lifelong children’s literacy advocate.
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