Emmett Hood
The Summit Country Day School’s champion speller this year was sixth grader Emmett Hood of Hyde Park.
Emmett brought the bee to conclusion in the seventh round by correctly spelling the word albumen. Fun fact: albumen was the winning word in the 1928 Scripps National Spelling Bee. For those who do not know, albumen is "the white of an egg." Emmett will take an online qualifying test for the WCPO Regional Bee in February. The winner of that contest has an opportunity to qualify for the Scripps National Bee in May.
The format of this bee was different than usual because of the school’s social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. While there was a plan to hold the bee on Williams Field if the weather was warm enough, cooler temperatures prompted the bee to be conducted in Flannery Gym. A portion of the Middle School attended in person while others and Livestream Learning students viewed it remotely.
In fact, three Livestream Learning students were finalists who participated in the bee from their homes. Those who participated in-person had the additional obstacle this year of wearing masks.
“I congratulate all the spellers who showed us once again how resilient our students are in the face of a challenge,” said Head of School Rich Wilson. “This was another example of our faculty developing creative solutions to problems and ensuring our students are challenged by our rigorous curriculum and experiences. I especially want to call out the members of the English Language Arts faculty — Frances Keller, Meghan Cole, Brendan McEachern, Katy Gallagher and Rosie Sansalone — for making it happen. And on a side note, the kids were delighted with the hot chocolate and cookies that the Summit Parents Association provided for a post bee treat.”
The Summit fourth through eighth graders who participated in the bee hail from neighborhoods across Greater Cincinnati. Fourth grade spellers were: Henry Holsinger, Eileen Bolan, Caroline Reynolds, Alejandro Sharp, Henry Ahouse. Fifth grade spellers were Ben Hoffman, Kiersten Diaz, Sebastian Swan (Livestream), Maren Lafley and Anna Wiltshire. In addition to Emmett, sixth grade spellers were Madelyn Smith, Finn Pichler, Shriyan Masineni and Beatrice Nery (Livestream). Seventh grade spellers were Aaron Fraley, Callie Fox, Nabil Sinno, Haley Baker and Evie Cooper. Eighth grade spellers were Gracie Sanders, Joey DiPaola, Colin Koran, Kate McLane and Sophia Nery (Livestream).