03-06-2006, 03:34 PM
A seventh-grader at Cooperstown Central School confidently spelled his way to first place at the fourth annual Daily Star regional spelling bee Saturday.
Michael Leonardo correctly spelled "condiment" to win the bee at the State University College at Oneonta’s Goodrich Theatre. As the winner of the spelling bee, Michael will compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington in May.
"This is one of the proudest moments of my life," 12-year-old Michael said after the bee finished. "I can’t believe I won. I did not expect to win."
"I didn’t even expect myself to place," Michael said.
Kate Leonardo, Michael’s mother, said much credit for Michael’s success needed to go to his teachers at Cooperstown.
Michael has Asperger’s syndrome, Leonardo said, which is on the autism spectrum. According to the National Institutes of Health, children with Asperger’s may have problems with social skills, nonverbal communication and relationships with other children.
Many people with Asperger’s have above-average intelligence, according to the NIH’s website.
Leonardo said she had home-schooled Michael before she and her husband, Jim, moved their family to the area.
"They (Michael’s previous district) didn’t know what to do with Michael," Leonardo said.
Michael’s parents said he was probably more relaxed during the bee than they were.
"In the days leading up to it, he was really relaxed," Jim Leonardo said. "I was nervous."
"I couldn’t even watch him," Kate Leonardo said. "I couldn’t look up."
Austin Davis, an eighth-grader at Norwich Middle School, came in second place.
One of Austin’s prizes was a Merriam-Webster dictionary.
"You already know half the words in there already," Daily Star Publisher Daniel Swift told Austin. "Next year, the other half."
Austin had come in last place in the competition last year at his school, said his father, Roy Davis.
Davis said he was very proud of his son.
"He did great," Davis said.
Austin said he had been nervous before the bee and hadn’t expected to do so well.
"I was so excited," Austin said after the bee ended. "I was ecstatic."
Austin and Michael competed against 25 other students from area schools.
"I love the fact that we can shine a light on our academic all-stars," Swift said after the bee. "Every one of them is a champion."
By the sixth round, Michael and Austin were the only spellers left. Previous spellers had correctly spelled words such as "electrochemical", "disintegration" and "azalea."
Only six spellers were left after round 4, the round when the words became increasingly difficult than previous rounds.
"It proves (students) do pay attention to spelling," said Marie Wiles, district superintendent for the Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
Students work very hard for the bee, Wiles said, and many are disappointed when they don’t do as well as they would have liked.
For winning the bee, Michael will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the national bee, a $100 U.S. savings bond, a dictionary, and a gift certificate to amazon.com.
Michael, whose favorite subject is history, said he was looking forward to the trip to Washington. He said he planned to study a lot in preparation for the national bee.
"It’ll be really exciting," Michael said.
Last year’s winner, Olivia Powell of Oxford, was eliminated from the national bee after the second round.
From thedailystar.com
Michael Leonardo correctly spelled "condiment" to win the bee at the State University College at Oneonta’s Goodrich Theatre. As the winner of the spelling bee, Michael will compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington in May.
"This is one of the proudest moments of my life," 12-year-old Michael said after the bee finished. "I can’t believe I won. I did not expect to win."
"I didn’t even expect myself to place," Michael said.
Kate Leonardo, Michael’s mother, said much credit for Michael’s success needed to go to his teachers at Cooperstown.
Michael has Asperger’s syndrome, Leonardo said, which is on the autism spectrum. According to the National Institutes of Health, children with Asperger’s may have problems with social skills, nonverbal communication and relationships with other children.
Many people with Asperger’s have above-average intelligence, according to the NIH’s website.
Leonardo said she had home-schooled Michael before she and her husband, Jim, moved their family to the area.
"They (Michael’s previous district) didn’t know what to do with Michael," Leonardo said.
Michael’s parents said he was probably more relaxed during the bee than they were.
"In the days leading up to it, he was really relaxed," Jim Leonardo said. "I was nervous."
"I couldn’t even watch him," Kate Leonardo said. "I couldn’t look up."
Austin Davis, an eighth-grader at Norwich Middle School, came in second place.
One of Austin’s prizes was a Merriam-Webster dictionary.
"You already know half the words in there already," Daily Star Publisher Daniel Swift told Austin. "Next year, the other half."
Austin had come in last place in the competition last year at his school, said his father, Roy Davis.
Davis said he was very proud of his son.
"He did great," Davis said.
Austin said he had been nervous before the bee and hadn’t expected to do so well.
"I was so excited," Austin said after the bee ended. "I was ecstatic."
Austin and Michael competed against 25 other students from area schools.
"I love the fact that we can shine a light on our academic all-stars," Swift said after the bee. "Every one of them is a champion."
By the sixth round, Michael and Austin were the only spellers left. Previous spellers had correctly spelled words such as "electrochemical", "disintegration" and "azalea."
Only six spellers were left after round 4, the round when the words became increasingly difficult than previous rounds.
"It proves (students) do pay attention to spelling," said Marie Wiles, district superintendent for the Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
Students work very hard for the bee, Wiles said, and many are disappointed when they don’t do as well as they would have liked.
For winning the bee, Michael will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the national bee, a $100 U.S. savings bond, a dictionary, and a gift certificate to amazon.com.
Michael, whose favorite subject is history, said he was looking forward to the trip to Washington. He said he planned to study a lot in preparation for the national bee.
"It’ll be really exciting," Michael said.
Last year’s winner, Olivia Powell of Oxford, was eliminated from the national bee after the second round.
From thedailystar.com