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Spelling bee winner wins again in Elizabeth

Luci Samaco achieves two-year streak in school district contest

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Elizabeth Middle School sixth-grader Luci Samaco racked up her second straight win in the Elizabeth School District’s annual spelling bee on Jan. 11.
 
Eleven spellers vied for a place in the statewide competition. Top spellers from Singing Hills Elementary, Running Creek Elementary, Elizabeth Middle School and Legacy Academy were present at the competition.
 
The Elizabeth district spelling bee, held at Elizabeth Middle School, also hosted three local judges and a pronouncer. The judges were Dr. William Dallas, the district’s interim/assistant superintendent; Allison Ritter, Town of Elizabeth accounting clerk, and Shellie Scobee, the school district’s student data management specialist. School board member Craig Blackham served as the official pronouncer.
 
After 18 rounds of spelling, Samaco won the first-place trophy. This is her second year in a row winning the district spelling bee. Her final championship word was “commendable.”
 
“It feels really good to win for the second year in a row. I am really proud of myself. I was scared though,” commented Samaco. “I do feel a little bad for the other people because they wanted to win too.”
 
Samaco will go on to compete in the 83rd Annual Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee on March 11 at the University of Denver, where the state’s top spellers will compete for the title of Colorado State Spelling Bee Champion.
 
“I am really nervous for the state spelling bee,” said Samaco. “It’s really weird. It’s like a big vocab test.”
 
Samaco’s mother chimed in, expressing her excitement for Luci’s win. “We’re very proud of her,” she said. “Luci has her own system. We helped her study, but she definitely has her own system of how to study and prepare.”
 
Of the other spellers, Khiya Phillips, a sixth-grader at Elizabeth Middle School, finished in second place, and Cooper Tobler, a fifth-grader from Singing Hills Elementary, finished third.
 
This year, Jason Hackett, the Elizabeth School District director of communications, took over as organizer for the district spelling bee after Kristen Crookshank’s six-year stint.
 
“The district bee was a success. We crowned a champion without running out of words. Even with all of the logistics to deal with, that was my biggest concern,” said Hackett. We have so many really smart students who are great spellers. Actually knowing how to break down words, think about where they originated, and use them correctly in a sentence will give these spellers a lifelong advantage.”
spelling bee, elizabeth school district, colorado, elbert county

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