Starting at 4:30 p.m., the Columbia County School District hosted the 2023 Spelling Bee at Stallings Middle School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 18.
With a panel of judges consisting of current and prior county Teachers of the Year, such as 2023 Teacher of the Year Ameesha Butler, students were encouraged by an audience of families and familiar educators as they took turns spelling difficult words.
This year’s competition differed from previous years as participants as young as third grade were allowed entry to contend against eighth graders. With one competing third grader, contesting students across the county included 17 elementary and 8 middle schoolers.
In order to compete at the regional level and qualify for the state spelling bee, students spelled challenging words such as “embezzlement,” “corpulent” and “laconic” throughout the evening as parents waited with bated breath.
Following 20 rounds, Stallings Island eighth grader and spelling bee pro Sai Lakkimsetti won first place after successfully spelling “aphids” towards the end of the event.
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Competing against his younger sister, a fourth grader from Stevens Creek Elementary School, Lakkimsetti said he spent two to three hours a day studying to learn new words and their definitions.
“I try to spell everyday,” he said. “I’m kind of used to it.”
His sister, Sreeya Lakkimsetti, explained that she found it nerve wracking to compete head to head with her sibling, but that she was glad for her mom’s support along the way.
First runner up in 2021’s district spelling bee and placing third in the state that same year, Lakkimsetti said he has participated in spelling bees since second grade, and does not plan on stopping anytime soon.
“It felt really good,” he said. “They help you learn new words, and the definitions of those can be really important later in life. A lot of words in spelling bees are important in medicine, and I want to be a doctor.”
In a world of spell check and autocorrect, father and physician Vasu Lakkimsetti said he thinks spelling bees are still important because they cause children to learn terms from many different topics – such as science, math, geography and medicine.
“It expands their knowledge in various fields,” he said. “Each word will take them in multiple directions.”
First runner up Sandra Toon, a fifth grader from Euchee Creek Elementary who had only ever participated in small school spelling bees, said she did not expect to advance as far as she did, and was pleasantly surprised. She shocked audiences by spelling words such as “topsy-turviness” and “ulster.”
“I’m really happy; I didn’t even think I would get to second place,” she said. “I was very scared … it’s a miracle.”
Mother Shelby Toon, who was silently cheering her daughter with several nods and smiles of encouragement, said she believed in teaching her daughter the value of working hard to achieve something in the long run.
“We knew that she would get far because she’s worked so hard. I’m excited for her,” she said. “It’s a good show for her that when you work hard this is what happens – so that she knows her efforts are worthwhile. It’s worthwhile to put time into things you want.”
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Winner Sai Lakkimsetti, Sandra Toon and second runner up Veleala Pule, a fourth grader from Cedar Ridge Elementary School, now qualify to compete at the Regional Spelling Bee at Putnam County Middle School on February 25 at Eatonton, Ga.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
