Karelyn Malliet will be making a return trip to the state spelling bee after showing the area that spelling is her “jurisdiction.”
It was that word that gave Malliet, a seventh-grade student at Shawano Community Middle School, her second regional title in a row. Malliet beat out six other students from area public and private schools and a home-school representative Tuesday following nine rounds of challenging words.
Erin Timler, a fifth-grade student from the Bonduel School District, finished as the runner-up after misspelling “wherewithal.” If Malliet is unable to attend the state bee, Timler will be the alternate.
Other students fell to words such as “propulsion” and “dirndl.”
Malliet had difficulty with a couple of words. She asked for the origin and definition of “precinct” and “parasol.” She used her finger to write out the words on her hand, and she prayed as she thought of how to spell “parasol.”
After the bee, Malliet said she used her options just to be safe.
“If I got them wrong, I’d be out, and I didn’t want to be out,” she said.
Malliet said she plans to study some of the lists that commonly come up for spelling bees to increase her word capacity. When she won the school spelling bee in January, she said she had been preparing since the beginning of the school year.
“There are certain lists that come up,” Malliet said.
Dan Labby, SCMS principal, has plenty of confidence in Malliet. He noted that he has seen her studying during lunch and other breaks.
“She takes the spelling bee very seriously,” Labby said. “As a matter of fact, as she has been at recess, she has been studying word lists as she went. She’s quite a good study and on top of her class in every way.”
The 2014 Badger State Spelling Bee will be held March 29 in the Mitby Theater at Madison Area Technical College.
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