Taylor County Middle School’s annual spelling bee for 2010 included five winners and one alternate. From left to right: Jordan Watson, Nathan Barr, Corrin Lewis, Karen Bray, Caitlin Ware, and Adam Williams.

Taylor County Middle School (TCMS) held its annual spelling bee on Monday, February 22, 2010. This year there were five students from each grade level selected, for a total twenty students to participate in the annual event.

The students eagerly waited on stage to begin the competition, as parents, grandparents, family and friends made their way into the auditorium.

The spelling bee was somewhat in jeopardy due to school closings and time constraints, but the new Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Linda Casto made it all happen. Casto worked diligently to organize and facilitate this annual event.

Casto and Ms. Joy Marino, fourth grade teacher at West Taylor Elementary, joined efforts to judge the event. The narrator of words, definitions and examples were pronounced in the familiar voice of Ms. Guy Moyer, former TCMS teacher.

The correct and acceptable spelling of words, were taken from the New International Dictionary, third edition. The event was voice tapped and eliminations made according to the standard guidelines.

As each student was called through rotation, they took center stage and performed in front of the microphone. Moyer narrated each word, and students repeated the word before spelling the word out.

The competition started out with simplistic three letter words, and expanded to more complex and challenging combinations.

The spelling bee followed traditional practices, and when a word was missed the next student was challenged to spell out the missed word, plus the new word.

The competition continued until the last six students remained. Taylor County Superintendent of Schools; J. Diane Watt presented each winner with a keepsake trophy.

The five winners and one alternate for the Taylor County Annual Spelling Bee for 2010 were, fifth grader: Corrin Lewis, sixth graders: Jordan Watson and Caitlin Ware, seventh grader: Karen Bray and eighth grader, Adam Williams.

The alternate, Nathan Barr, will participate should one of the five be unavailable.

The finalists will travel to the Bridgeport Conference Center, to participate in the Regional Spelling Bee sometime in early March.

The State of West Virginia will then sponsor one student from the regional competition to participate in the National Spelling Bee.

Each participant in the spelling bee received a gift bag of goodies prepared by Ms. Casto.