Latest news with #LawrenceCountySpellingBee
Yahoo
6 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
12-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
ESC previews Quiz Bowl to 5th, 6th grades
May 12—Talented and gifted students from five of the county's school districts came together on Tuesday to get a preview of a possible academic extracurricular activity that awaits in middle school and high school. The Lawrence County ESC hosted a TAG Quiz Bowl tournament at Ohio University Southern, with teams facing off and answering questions ranging from history to science to math to pop culture and more. Gretta Taylor, student services coordinator for the ESC, said she penned the questions herself, to illustrate to the students what a Quiz Bowl tournament could be like, should they be interested in taking part "And I tried to make them fun," she said. The teams were comprised of fifth and sixth graders, she said. The teams competed one on one throughout the morning and, when the event was finished, wins were tallied up and Chesapeake emerged as the victor, winning the traveling trophy from last year's champions, Dawson-Bryant. Should Chesapeake's students decide to pursue Quiz Bowl in coming years, they could boast a formidable lineup, as their team at Tuesday's event included both Lawrence County Science Fair first place winner Gunner Davidson and Joseph Keffer, winner of this year's Lawrence County Spelling Bee, who has qualified to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the end of the month. Taylor conducts the science fair and spelling bee for the ESC, which also hosts Quiz Bowl tournaments at the middle and high school level. Rock Hill, Symmes Valley, Chesapeake, Ironton and Dawson-Bryant students took part in Tuesday's event.
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.
