OWASSO, OK — Sai Lakkimsetti (9) is the champion of the Scripps Green Country Regional Spelling Bee sponsored by 2 Works for You, Kenco and Tulsa Tech. His winning word was “bottine.” The competition involving fifty-five spellers from fifty-five local schools and homeschools lasted 16 rounds, 314 words.
Spellers competed at Tulsa Tech in Owasso on March 3. 2017 champion Edith Fuller (6) is the runner up. The five-way tie for third place was earned by Matthew Gogol, Logan Rhyne, Sophia Guy, Maryam Aratsu, and Avery Wise.
David Ragland served as pronouncer for the competition and the judges who tracked every word and verified spelling accuracy were Commissioner Karen Keith, Tulsa Tech school board president Mark Griffin, and 2 Works for You evening anchor Brian Sanders. Laura Raphael of the Tulsa City-County Library served as recorder and 2 Works for You morning anchor, Scott Thompson was the emcee.
Spellers studied the 2018 School Spelling Bee Study List and Spell It!, a 1,150-word list provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee and Merriam-Webster.
Lakkimsetti now advances to compete in the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area, and broadcast on ESPN channels May 29-31. In addition to the expenses-paid trip to the national finals for him and a parent, Lakkimsetti also wins these prizes:
- $1,000 check from Kenco Engineering
- One week of summer camp at Holland Hall
- Cuffs from Rustic Cuff
- The opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Tulsa Drillers baseball game and tickets for his family.
- The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award is a 2018 United States Mint Proof Set provided by Jay Sugarman, chairman and CEO of iStar Financial, in honor of his father.
- The Britannica Online Premium is a one-year subscription for the premier online resource from Encyclopædia Britannica.
- The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online is a one-year subscription for the official word source for all levels of competition for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
“We are very proud of all of the students from our area who worked hard in this competition,” said Amy Calvert, General Manager of KJRH. “We look forward to watching Sai compete in the national bee.
KJRH and Kenco has sponsored the regional bee event for four years. The competition encourages students to set goals and dedicate time to study and prepare. Participation also provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in public speaking and performing under pressure.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee provides the list of words for the regional competition. The Bee reaches an estimated 11 million students across the country and in other parts of the world with the classroom materials it provides to enrolled schools. The purpose of the Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.
Event sponsors included Kenco Engineering, Tulsa Tech, Holland Hall, Rustic Cuff, Tulsa Drillers, Tulsa Roughnecks, Tulsa City-County Library, Flying Tee, Los Cabos, Arby's, Papa Murphy's and Monte Cassino.
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