It was a familiar feeling for 13-year-old Kailey Choi to be on stage holding the district spelling bee plaque.
The eighth-grader from T.A. Howard Middle School made her debut at the Mansfield ISD District Spelling Bee when she was in third grade and became MISD’s youngest champion.
In the following years, Choi qualified for the competition but fell short of the first place title. That is, until this year’s contest, which is the last year she will be able to participate in the event.
“It’s like a legacy,” she said. “I won first, and I won last.”
Choi competed with campus winners from MISD’s elementary, intermediate and middle schools to earn the district title. She won in the ninth round with the word “infrastructure.”
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| Choi's father and principal came to support her. |
Organizers of the Feb. 9 event, sponsored by the Mansfield Sunshine Rotary Club, said they have been preparing for it since September. It takes work to coordinate each campus bee and the district competition, but they said the end result is satisfying.
“My favorite part of the spelling bee is seeing those kids on stage with their eager faces and all of their study skills and habits coming into fruition,” said Kristi Gonzales, MISD coordinator of elementary language arts.
Gonzales added that spelling bees help students with communication skills and self-confidence.
Choi will be going off to high school next year and will not be eligible to compete, but she gave her advice for those wanting to earn the next district title.
“What you have to do is strive for it, study and be calm.”
The spelling bee champ will now prepare for the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee on March 1 at Texas Christian University. When she appeared at the event five years ago, she lasted 14 rounds.
MISD Spelling Bee Campus Winners
School
|
Student
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Alice Ponder Elementary
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Dinh Luong
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Anna May Daulton Elementary
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Prince Olowookere
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Annette Perry Elementary
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Riley Myrow
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Asa Low Intermediate
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Samantha Malone
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Brooks Wester Middle School
|
Emmanuel Allison
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Carol Holt Elementary
|
Emily Trinh
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Charlotte Anderson Elementary
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Daniel Ogiozee
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Cora Spencer Elementary
|
Kaleb Giggins
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Cross Timbers Intermediate
|
Tiffany Lam (district
runner-up)
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D. P. Morris Elementary
|
Amina Allen
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Danny Jones Middle School
|
Zoe Leddy
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Della Icenhower Intermediate
|
Ayush Shah
|
Donna Shepard Intermediate
|
Jaxson Latimer
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Elizabeth Smith Elementary
|
Caden Overby
|
Erma Nash Elementary
|
Joseph Oehlke
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Glenn Harmon Elementary
|
Omar Akkad
|
Imogene Gideon Elementary
|
Adebola Adeshola
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J. L. Boren Elementary
|
Mariam Dohadwala
|
James Coble Middle School
|
Yvaine Penaranda
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Janet Brockett Elementary
|
Marli Field
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Judy Miller Elementary
|
Zain Durrani
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Kenneth Davis Elementary
|
Josiah Smith
|
Linda Jobe Middle School
|
Ruth Oyerokun
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Louise Cabaniss Elementary
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Lucy Duku
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Martha Reid Elementary
|
Angel Brefro
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Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary
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Marcus Jones
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Mary Lillard Intermediate
|
Collin Overby
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Mary Orr Intermediate
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Noah Gakuba
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Nancy Neal Elementary
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Kamryn Ross
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Roberta Tipps Elementary
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Ryu Cheng
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Rogene Worley Middle School
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Tojumi Olayiwole
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T. A. Howard Middle School
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Kailey Choi (district winner)
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Tarver-Rendon Elementary
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Joshua Oyerokun
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Thelma Jones Elementary
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Hailey Alajandre
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Willie Brown Elementary
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Tej Marimuthu
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