Published: April 26, 2008 01:46 am            

Spell-bound for a cause: CSBF team launches winning effort

PALESTINE — “Tonsillitis.” “Dimorphism.” “Dyslexia.” “Potpourri.”

A slew of difficult words in the 10th and final round did not deter teams from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and Elkhart High School from going after the coveted title of Anderson County Literacy Council’s “Bee” for Literacy champion Friday night.

But it was just one word — “opalescence” — that made the CSBF team of Mike Farman, Kathleen Smith and Gary Marchant the victors of the 15th annual corporate spelling bee held at First United Methodist Church.

The two teams went six rounds in the final moments of the Bee, conquering words such as “mononucleosis,” “malocclusion,” “jocosity” and “etiquette” before the EHS team of Shane Kapela, Shawn Mize and Vivian Nichols fumbled on the word “picayune,” giving CSBF the spell and the winning word.

“It was very exciting, especially there at the end,” Smith said, adding that a last-minute team replacement and having to study on one’s own gave the team some challenges.

“The win was unexpected, but it was great fun,” Smith’s teammate Farman agreed.

After the first three elimination-free rounds of the bee, the Palestine Library Friends and the First Baptist Church teams were the first to fall out of the competition, getting hung up on the word “prodigious.”

Round four was also error-free, but 2007 defending “Bee” champions from Palestine Regional Medical Center were eliminated in round five. And a “mulligan” issued by the Herald-Press team in the same round did not seem to protect them in the next, when they were eliminated by the word “masquerade.”

One of three teams left in rounds seven and eight, the Anderson County Republican team was eliminated in the ninth round, giving them third place and allowing the last two teams to vie for the first and second place awards.

“Everything went well. We had far more in attendance than I expected,” said ACLC Board Treasurer Renate Fraser after the Bee. “We really want to thank the Herald-Press for their publicity as well as the spellers and supporters that came out.

“The food was great, the people were great, and I think everyone had a really good time.”

Preceding the bee, attendees were served a dinner catered by Shep’s Barbecue of Palestine. A short program then followed, including a welcome and teacher recognition by Alan Russell, prayer by Rev. Scott Dornbush and introductions given by emcee Anderson County Judge Linda Ray.

To highlight the event and demonstrate the ACLC’s impact on its students, English as a Second Language student Nhat-Kim Carsten spoke to audiences about her experiences with the program.

Carsten, a Vietnam native, came to the United States after meeting her husband, Michael, online. She enrolled in the ACLC’s ESL program in 2006.

“When I first came here, I could not understand anyone — my husband, his family or even my teacher,” she said. “I was even afraid to travel to other parts of the country because I could not understand them and they did not understand me.”

But after a lot of work with her teacher and a lot of studying, Carsten began to see the language barriers crumble.

“Now I can understand my husband, his family says I am speaking better English and I am not afraid to travel anymore,” she said. “The ESL program was a stepping stone on the path to success for me.”

“It has helped me very much.”

Bee officials included pronouncer Jackson Hanks, with Anderson County Court-at-Law Judge Jeff Doran, Palestine Municipal Judge Bill Curley and District Judge Pam Foster-Fletcher serving as bee judges. Kathrine Newton also made an appearance as “Queen Bee.”

Also during the “Bee” audiences participated in the “Audience Spell” event, and all in attendance were given the chance to win several door prizes presented during the Bee.

The Bee’s cheering squad award went to supporters of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.

———

Mary Rainwater may be reached via e-mail at mrainwater@palestineherald.com

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.