Schools

Chatsworth Hills Student Places 2nd in Scripps Spelling Bee

7th-grader Rebecca Baron spells 'shoaly' correctly.

(CHA) 7th grader Rebecca Baron out-spelled 90 students from schools across Los Angeles County to take second place honors in the Los Angeles County Scripps Spelling Bee, held February 25 at Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood.   The nine-round competition lasted approximately four hours.

During her performance, Baron provided proper letter combinations for familiar words such as “discipline” and “dyslexia” before moving on to less commonly used words “juggins,” “sabermetrics” and “rambla.”  Her correct spelling of “shoaly” clinched her second place victory.  Though Baron was unsure of the word when it was first pronounced, she immediately placed it when she asked for and received the definition: “full of sand banks and sand bars.”

According to materials provided by co-sponsors Walter Reed Middle School PTSA, Friends of Reed and Scripps National Spelling Bee, more than 22,000 students from 92 schools competed for a berth in the Los Angeles County Scripps Spelling Bee. 

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“This is absolutely, insanely, totally awesome,” said Baron of her performance.  “I worked hard for it but didn’t expect to get this far.  I’d like to thank my parents, the other finalists who cheered for me and my teachers and friends at CHA who helped me prepare.”

“Rebecca represented CHA with grace, dignity and tremendous sportsmanship,” said Mr. Gerrity, CHA Dean of Students.  “We’re proud not only of her strong spelling performance, but also in her show of support for the other student spellers.  She demonstrated all the qualities we look for in our students.”

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Chatsworth Hills Academy is an independent college preparatory school serving students from Early Childhood (ages 2 1/2 – 5) through grade 8.  CHA is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and is accredited by both the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.  


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