Saturday, February 7, 2004

Top speller not distraught about winning word in bee

Distraught never felt so good.

Jessica Dyer News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdyer@news-bulletin.com

Belen Chiméne Lopez, a Los Lunas Middle School eighth-grader, successfully spelled "distraught" — defined as "agitated by doubt or mental conflict" — to claim the title of Valencia County Spelling Bee champion Friday morning at Belen High School.

It was the second county win for Lopez, a spelling bee veteran who has competed in the events since second grade and who, in 2002, was the county champion and a state qualifier.

"I knew pretty much all the words they gave me," said the eighth-grader who practiced every night with her mom or on the computer in preparation for the event. In fact, Lopez said, three of the words she was asked to spell were words she specifically remembered studying — apollonian, napalm and Pisces.

"Apollonian — that's the one we (she and her mother) argued about. Napalm — my mom told me just to remember the palm of my hand," explained Lopez.

"We studied a lot of words," added her mother, Shawnee Otero.

Julie Gammill also received help from her mom before the county bee, and it paid off as the Belen Middle School eighth-grader walked away with the second-place trophy.

"My mom has a technique," said Gammill. "We go through the book and highlight words I misspell, and she puts them on Post-its and puts them up around the house."

The mid-schooler was initially eliminated in the seventh round for misspelling "niobium" but was allowed back into contention after it was determined the prounouncer mispronounced the word. Gammill, also a veteran of the county competition, said she was pleased with second.

"I've never been past county before," said Gammill, who, along with Lopez, qualified to participate in the regional spelling bee on March 27 at Sandia Prep in Albuquerque.

Did the eighth-grader bring any good-luck charms with her to the BHS auditorium on Friday? "Just my mom," Gammill said.

A total of 25 fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from across the county competed in Friday's bee. Some, such as Lopez and Gammill, had been there before, but it was the first time Mark Stephens qualified for the Valencia County contest.

In his initial attempt, the Belen Middle School eighth-grader earned third place.

"I expected first, but I'm happy with third," said Stephens, adding that, after rounds of perfection, he was finally tripped up on the word "soliloquy." "How do you spell that word?" he questioned afterwards.

Stephens said he regretted that he didn't study more. "I didn't prepare much. I studied one day and it was yesterday (Thursday)," he said. "I do thank God that I got third place."

In addition to Lopez, Gammill and Stephens, the following students took part in Friday's Valencia County Spelling Bee: Chris Lucero (Belen Middle School), Devon Kelly (La Merced Elementary), Desiree Luca (Rio Grande Elementary), Alejandro Silva (Family School), Marissa Sisneros (Rio Grande Elementary), Andres Valenzuela (La Merced Elementary), Francesco Martinez (La Promesa Elementary), Jacob Armijo (Dennis Chavez Elementary), Justine Saavedra (Manzano Vista Middle School), Mathew Erickson (Raymond Gabaldon Intermediate), Katie Seals (Manzano Vista Middle School), Celia Richey (Manzano Vista Middle School), George Cheatham (Los Lunas Middle School), John Archer (Los Lunas Middle School), Rosie Simmons (Daniel Fernandez Intermediate), Nicole Gallegos (Manzano Vista Middle School), Alonzo Romero (Desert View Intermediate), Dante Garcia (St. Mary's School), Janelle Moya (St. Mary's School), Timothy Houle (St. Mary's School), Jeremiah Danielson (Isleta Elementary) and Thania Jojola (Isleta Elementary).

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