SSISD's Betty Lawson congratulates Timothy White after he won the
Hopkins County Spelling Bee for the fourth time, on Friday afternoon.

 

White Defends Title and Wins
Hopkins County Spelling Bee for Fourth Time

 

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

 

It was eight youngsters from across Hopkins County that met on Friday afternoon for the 2012 Hopkins County Spelling Bee, hosted in the SSISD Administration Building, on Connally Street. Representing Saltillo School was Jillian Cartwright and Matthew Gurley and representing CHESS Home School were Ross Pruitt and Timothy White. Como-Pickton ISD was represented by Jasmine Boyd and Matthew Pegues, while Sulphur Springs ISD was represented by Carissa Carter and Brayden Fisher.

 

 

 

 

Words like disappoint, elegant and puree were easily bantered around and spelled by these students as they advanced into the finals rounds, some getting eliminated by "condiment," "juvenile," and "ecstatic." However, it was the word d-e-s-p-e-r-a-t-e-l-y that edged Timothy White of CHESS, ahead of the pack and declared him the winner of this year's contest, for the fourth consecutive year. Timothy will represent Hopkins County in the Dallas Morning News, televised state contest in March.

 

White didn't use any particularly "hostile" take-over to win the contest, as he was in the "pursuit" of the "gourmet" of words. He took a "leisure" approach, failing to "puree" any of his sounding of the words, and showed no signs of being "ecstatic," even when he won. However, he had a "jubilant" smile on his face and took the "elegant" and mannerly approach to winning the contest that he had "desperately" hoped to win for the fourth time!

A "spell-off" had to be conducted to determine the second and third place position, between Matthew Pegues, of Como-Pickton, and Saltillo's Matthew Gurley, with Pegues earning the second place finish.

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to all of the participants in this year's contest. As pronouncer for this year's contest, Gail Herman, told the youth, "A wide vocabulary will aid you and both your reading and writing, throughout your life!"

Serving as Judges for Friday's event were Sherry Chester and Kay McClure.

 

 

 

Congratulations Spelling Bee Participants!!!


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