Latest news with #Keffer
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chesapeake student competes in Scripps National Bee
Jun. 4—Makes it to third round of 100th anniversary event WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was long road getting there, but a Chesapeake student took part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on the outskirts of the nation's capital over the weekend. Joseph Keffer, who just finished fifth grade, qualified for the event after winning the district bee for southeast Ohio in Athens in the spring. Prior to that, he won the Lawrence County Spelling Bee in December, for which he qualified by winning his school's bee. Keffer was one of 243 regional champions to make it nationals. The Scripps National Bee, which is in its 100th year, took place from May 25-30 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. "It was awesome," Joseph said of his experience. "And I made a lot of friends." At the national bee, Keffer made it through Round 1, correctly spelling "furan," then succeeded in Round 2. He then moved into Round 3, which was a written test to qualify for the event's quarterfinals. Keffer's mother, Laura, said he came only two points from that threshold. "He was close," she said, noting that he and those eliminated at that point tied for 100th place overall. "He was 100th in the 100th. Our goal this year was to make it through rounds 1 and 2 and we accomplished that." The spelling bee is open to fourth through eighth graders and, with three years of eligibility ahead of him, Joseph has the opportunity to try again. "Oh, yes," he said, when asked if he plans to compete again in the next school year. His mother summed up the family's experience. "Being here for the 100th spelling bee, being at the national spelling bee is something I never dreamed we'd do and it has been very special to be a part of it," Laura Keffer said. "We are very proud of Joseph and what he has accomplished." Keffer is the third Lawrence County speller to make it to the national bee this century. Last year, Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, competed in the event as a seventh grader. (Dunlap came in second at this year's county and regional bees). In 2010, Felicity Jenkins, then a sixth grader at Symmes Valley, made the trip to nationals. The bee capped off a strong year for Keffer. He was also part of the fifth grade Quiz Bowl team, which won the Lawrence County ESC's talented and gifted tournament at the end of the school year, while, a year prior, he was on the winning team for the ESC's Math Pong event. You Might Like News Proctorville woman killed in WV crash Education FLE kindergarteners celebrate with Wyngate residents (WITH GALLERY) Business Azure Standard announces $9.3M investment in county News Ashland woman killed in UTV accident
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2025 Spelling Bee: How two central Ohio kids did in preliminaries
WASHINGTON D.C. (WCMH) — The 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee is underway from our nation's capital and two central Ohioans are competing against over 200 others from across the country. Fifteen kids from Ohio are among the 243 spellers in the 2025 competition with the preliminary round taking place on Tuesday. Among those Ohioans is Columbus-native Avinav Prem Anand, 14, who is sponsored by the Blue Jackets and is competing in his fourth consecutive spelling bee. The eighth grader from Orange Middle School had his best finish last year when he came in 22nd place. He is also moving on to Wednesday's quarterfinals after spelling 'Sapporo' right and correctly defining expostulate as his vocabulary question. Ohio bill would make Superman the state's official superhero, but not until 2033 Making his spelling bee debut is 10-year-old Joseph Keffer, a fifth grader from Athens at Chesapeake Middle School. He is being sponsored by Ohio University's journalism school and is one of the three youngest competitors from the Buckeye State. Keffer spelled the word 'furan' correctly and got his multiple-choice vocabulary question correct, sending him to the quarterfinals. Anand and Keffer are two of 183 spellers to advance to the quarterfinals, which begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday. If Anand and Keffer can stay perfect in spelling, they will compete in Wednesday night's semifinals and hope to appear in Thursday evening's finals. In the 100-year history of the Spelling Bee, nine Ohioans have won with all hailing from either Akron, Cleveland, or Canton. The first Ohioan to win was Dean Lucas of Akron in 1927, the third edition of the Bee. The most recent Ohio winner was Anamika Veeramani of Cleveland in 2010. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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."
CBS News
20-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Tips from a doctor to help relieve and prevent your allergy symptoms
March 20 is the first day of spring. With that comes lots of beautiful flowers and miserable pollen. An estimated 80 million Americans have seasonal allergies, including Jamey Keffer. "I would usually have to count on missing five days of work in the year," Keffer said. Ragweed isn't Keefer's friend. "I have really itchy eyes. I have a runny nose, and in the middle of a conversation I'll sneeze like, six times," Keffer said. "It's really awkward." She's tried all kinds of different remedies to get relief. "I took antihistamines. I tried different ones, but now I've decided instead of treating the symptoms, I'm going to try and treat the cause. I get allergy shots," Keffer said. Dr. Alfred Johnson of Johnson Medical Associates in Richardson said there's also a sweeter option. "A little bit of honey will help some people build up tolerance to the different pollens in the local area, and so that's why they talk about local honey," Johnson said. Johnson said you can reduce pollen exposure in your car by using the recirculation button, using an air purifier, and also rolling up your windows. Some other tips include: "People that are really allergic need to stay indoors more than outdoors," Johnson said. "If they're going to exercise, go to the gym, walk in the mall, don't go outdoors and walk when the wind's up and blowing." Johnson sees a lot of patients who didn't have allergy symptoms until they moved to Texas. "If they came from the North, they had a reprieve in the wintertime because of the snow, and everything died. Here in Texas, we pretty much have growth year-round," Johnson said. A report from Climate Central finds warming trends in 172 cities around the country are giving plants more time to release and grow pollen, and that means longer allergy seasons. That's something Keefer knows all too well. "They're so intense, and I'm aware as soon as I open my eyes in the morning," Keffer said. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recently ranked Dallas as a 2025 allergy capital for how hard it is for pollen sufferers to live in the area.
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.
