Spellbound: Kaneland 302 students show off their verbal skills in district spelling bee

A young child in the audience started to cry as Blackberry Creek student Bryce Bower spelled the word “temporary,” during the district-wide Kaneland Spelling Bee on Jan. 14 at the Kaneland High School auditorium.

As Bower finished spelling it correctly, the crying had dissipated, proving to only be a temporary distraction that didn’t get in the way of him advancing to the next round.

That was just one of the many exciting scenes that unfolded during the Kaneland School District 302-wide spelling bee. Participating kids donned bright yellow t-shirts with a large bee and the word “kind” beneath it on the front. Before the competition officially got started, the kids warmed up with practice words, wowing the audience with large words with lots of letters as well as inciting laughter and smiles with such simplicities as “hi” and “cat’ among others.

While Dr. James Horne, the director of educational services for grades 6–12, read the words to be spelled, Dr. Jackie Bogan, district assistant superintendent for business/CSBO recited definitions of the words when requested while Martne McCoy, IgKnight principal, rang a bell to signify misspellings.

Fifth graders swept the top three spots and received trophies. McDole’s Benjamin Hills took first place, IgKnight’s Graham Butler placed second and McDole’s Hunter Mullins took third.

Butler will join John Shields fifth grader Joey Szelag, McDole fourth grader Harold Stauter, John Stewart fifth grader Everly Bates and Blackberry Creek fifth grader Mayson Villanueva back at Kaneland High School on Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m. for a Scripps National Spelling Bee regional. They all qualified as the top speller at their respective schools during competition earlier this year.

“The district bee (gave) the top 10 winners from each school (and five from KIPLA) another chance to be spotlighted and to practice competitive spelling and showcase their learning in word study,” said David Chavez, director of communications for Kaneland. “It is a practice round also for the regional bee for our top school winners to feel the pressure of being on a stage with spotlights spelling.”

Butler, the lone student to win during his school’s Scripps competition and at the district-wide event, is an avid reader.

“I really like to read the graphic novels by Dav Pilkey,” he said. “The Dog Man series and Captain Underpants. I really like reading and writing, and there’s this class that mixes all the subjects together and right now were on art and doing pixel art.”

As for getting up on a big stage in front of his classmates, his peers throughout the district and an audience of unknowns, Butler acknowledged that he was nervous but confident.

“As I got toward the end I was like ok, I can do this,” he said. “I might fail but it’s all about the words the judge’s pick.”

Boat would’ve been an easy spell. Schooner would’ve been a challenge. Not even a yacht could sink him.

“Yacht was the one that surprised me,” his mom said. “We were nervous a couple of times, but he surprised us by knowing words we didn’t think he knew. We’re very proud.”