Latest news with #ChesapeakeMiddleSchool
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ready for the big date
Mar. 26—Chesapeake student to take part in national bee in May CHESAPEAKE — For the next two months, Joseph Keffer will be studying hard. The Chesapeake Middle School fifth grader is headed to the nation's capital, where he will take part in the 100th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 27-29. Keffer qualified for the national bee when he won the southeast Ohio district bee on March 1, after successfully spelling the word "leviathan." Keffer, 10, said when he was given the winning word, he knew how to spell it. He said he had been pretty confident going into that event, which took place at Ohio University in Athens, though he was not sure just how well he would do. "My expectation was that I would get close, but I didn't expect that I would win," he said. And Keffer's win marked the first time Lawrence County has swept the top two places in the regional bee, which had 13 competitors. Coming in second place was Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, who was also runner up to Keffer at the county bee in December 2024. Dunlap was last year's county winner and, like Keffer, also won at regional and went on to compete in Washington, D.C. This was the first time that Lawrence County has had national spellers for two consecutive years. Prior to Dunlap and Keffer, the last student from the county to do so was Felicity Jenkins, of Symmes Valley, who went to the national bee in 2010. And, not only was the double feat a win for the county, but also for Redemption Church, of Huntington, West Virginia, where both Keffer and Dunlap attend. Keffer is the son of Laura and Andrew Keffer, of Chesapeake, and one of three siblings. When he is not spelling, he said he likes to play video games and read. He said this is his second year taking part in spelling bees. Last year, he made to the district bee for Chesapeake. For the national bee, his family is being provided with a hotel room for the week by Ohio University. Keffer said it will be his first time in Washington, D.C. "I'm kind of excited," he said. "And my sister is really excited to go to D.C." In preparation for the national bee, he said he will be continuing his previous studying routine, using the Word Club app, put out by Scripps National, as well as using flash cards. His mother said Dunlap is also bringing him books as encouragement. "We know them well," she said of their family. "And her dad is our pediatrician. They're excited for him." Glenn Dillon, Keffer's principal, said his win is "a great thing for the district and the county. "We're excited for him and proud of him," Dillon said. "He's a hard worker and self motivated. He's a great kid from a great family." Gretta Taylor, student service coordinator for the Lawrence County ESC, which organizes the county bee, said, "Joseph could truly make anyone smile." She recalled how enthused he was during the county bee, and said he also took time, prior to the event, to introduce himself to the other spellers and worked to calm those who were nervous. "He told them, 'it will be OK' and that they would do great," she said. "He's one of a kind. We knew he would go far in the spelling bee and represent Lawrence County well."
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chesapeake student to compete in national spelling bee
CHESAPEAKE — A Chesapeake Middle School fifth grader will compete in the 100th Annual Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., at the end of May. Joseph Keffer, 10, first won his classroom's spelling bee, which qualified him for the school's annual spelling bee. 'And he just kept winning,' Joseph's mother Laura Keffer said. Joseph was able to move onto the Lawrence County Spelling Bee and eventually the regional spelling bee in Athens, Ohio, where he competed against students from Jackson, Meigs and Gallia counties, among other areas in the state, on March 1. Although this is not the first time Joseph has competed, it will be his first time making it to nationals. 'He did the Chesapeake Spelling Bee last year, and he came in fourth or fifth, but this year he won, and just kept getting to go on. ... It's exciting just to make it to the national spelling bee, period. It's a big thing,' Laura Keffer said. According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee webpage, the spelling bee will be from May 27-29. A broadcast schedule will be announced online starting May 1. While the national competition originally started off with only nine participants in 1925, Scripps has hosted more than 200 spellers from across the country in the last couple of years, reaching millions of viewers. 'We're just really proud of him. He's really worked hard and pushed himself, and we're just really excited for him to get to ... compete at the national level,' Laura Keffer said. Laura Keffer said Joseph often practices spelling words at home and uses an app developed by Scripps to study official pronunciations, definitions and origins and try to recognize patterns. She said only the first two rounds of the competition have word lists for spellers to study in advance, but beyond that, judges could potentially ask competitors about any word in the dictionary. All spellers will receive a prize package from Scripps for competing, including Bee souvenirs and a certificate of participation. All spellers will also receive a United States Mint proof set and one-year subscriptions to the unabridged online version of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Britannica Online Premium, Epic Family, and Tynker, plus eight live one-on-one coding classes through Byju's Future School. Quarter finalists and semifinalists will receive gift cards and a commemorative pin or medal, respectively, and finalists will receive a medal and cash prizes that increase with placement. But the champion will receive a $50,000 cash prize, a commemorative medal and the Scripps Cup from Scripps; a $2,500 cash prize and reference library from Merriam-Webster; and $400 of reference works, including a 1760 Encyclopædia Britannica Replica Set and a three-year membership to Britannica Online Premium from Encyclopædia Britannica. The champion's school and sponsor will also receive an engraved commemorative plaque. While there have been several champions from Ohio and Kentucky, there has never been a champion from Lawrence County in a century of competition. Chesapeake Middle School Principal Glenn Dillon, who attended the school and has been principal for three years, said to his recollection, this is the first time CMS has sent a student to nationals. 'We're just very proud of Joseph. He's a very hardworking student. He puts a lot on himself to be the best that he can be in anything he does. He does put a lot of time in to study the words, but every aspect of the education process, he is constantly wanting to get better than he was the last time. So it's impressive to watch him. He definitely pushes himself,' Dillon said. Dillon said, while Joseph isn't yet old enough to compete in many groups on the middle-school level, he recently competed in a math pong tournament at Ohio University Southern against other schools in the county and won. 'We're excited for him,' Dillon said. 'And I know all the teachers and the community itself is excited for him.' Joseph said in a statement provided by Laura Keffer, 'It's been a long journey, and I'm super excited. I didn't expect to get this far, and I can't wait to go to Washington and try the nationals. I'm excited to represent my school.'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Following the path to victory
Mar. 19—The southeastern Ohio regional spelling bee took place on March 1 at Ohio University in Athens and, for Lawrence County, there is reason to be proud. After the 13 spellers from seven counties faced off for multiple rounds, Joseph Keffer, 10, a fifth grader from Chesapeake Middle School, emerged as the champion for the event. Keffer, who won the Lawrence County Spelling Bee in December 2024, will now go on to represent the region in the 100th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May. Having a student go on to compete nationally is a rare occurrence and a hard-earned feat for the county. But with Keffer's win, the county can now say that it's happened two years in a row. Last year, Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, competed at the national level after winning the regional bee. She placed second at the regional bee this year, and was second in the county bee. We congratulate both Keffer and Dunlap for taking the top two spots at regional, which appears to be a first for Lawrence County, and we wish Keffer good luck as he continues studying and preparing for the big trip to the nation's capital this spring.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Chesapeake Middle student wins county science fair
Mar. 1—South Point student takes second place There were a few obstacles in the way, schedule-wise, in getting there, but a Gunner Davidson took home the big trophy on Tuesday for this year's Lawrence County Science Fair. First, the initial date for the county fair was canceled, due to snow, then, another complication came up when the makeup date was scheduled for students to present their projects, the following Monday. Davidson's family had scheduled a vacation to Disney World, and, according to Lawrence County ESC superintendent Eric Floyd, the fair meant so much to Davidson, he nearly backed out of the trip. But, after talking with the ESC, the family was able to make arrangements for the Chesapeake Middle School sixth grader to present his project to judges, which included Floyd, via video from his family's hotel room. "He had a video and answered questions," Floyd said. Davidson's project, "What cleans wrestling mats best?" tested various types of cleaners, and not only earned him the first place trophy, but also a score of 40 and a Superior ranking, enabling him to go onto the district fair at The University of Rio Grande later this school year. Coming in second was Ciara McComas, a fifth grader at South Point Elementary School, for "The Amazing Rodent Race," in which she ran a rat through a maze. She also earned a Superior ranking at the county level and a score of 39.6. Overall, 30 students took part in the county fair, after earning an Excellent or Superior ranking at their individual school fair. Third place went to Caleb Black, of Chesapeake Middle School, a seventh grader, for "Which fertilizer will make soybeans grow faster?" The project earned him a score of 39 and a Superior ranking. Fourth place was awarded to Waylon Mitchell, a Burlington Elementary School fifth grader, for "Electromagnetism," with a score of 38.8 and a Superior ranking. And fifth place was Shade Gibson, a sixth grader at Chesapeake Middle School, for "Bridge Busters," which earned him a Superior ranking and a score of 38.3 Students who earn a Superior or Excellent ranking can go onto the district fair. Other Superior rankings were: Korie Copley, Parker Hamlin, Landon Pauley and Chase Hamlin. Excellent rankings were Hunter Hollback, Cheyenna Stallo, Lyndlee Edwards, Kennedy Johnson, Kingston Pickett, Raylee Skeens, Nahla Robinson, Jadiana Gilliam, Elliot Thackers, Noah Shafer, Sawyer Hutchinson, Myles Joy, Kylee Dople, Bryer Lee, Easton Wood, Avery Crager, Addison Boggs, Jaylee Caynar, Brantlee Shafer, Braelynn Browning, Rylan Deem and Paislee Jones. The fair is organized by the ESC, who also handles the county's spelling bee and Quiz Bowl tournaments.
