Neighborhood school spelling buzz
By Uma Kotwal, student writer; courtesy photos
Rocky Height Middle School Spelling Bee winners Zoya Raizada, Tanish Lodha and Luke Houston
Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) gathered its top spelling participants on stage for the annual Douglas County School District Spelling Bee. In total, 27 students participated in the initial round with the top three spellers moving on to the district spelling bee.
It took 10 rounds to eliminate all but the top three spellers at RHMS. Assistant Principal Ann Guenther awarded participation medals to all the students who competed. Trophies were awarded to the top three finishers: Zoya Raizada, Tanish Lodha and Luke Houston.
Houston, a sixth grader said, “I had fun, even though I spent a lot of time practicing. The word I got out on was ‘therapeutic.’” Raizada, also a sixth grade speller, won the spelling bee by spelling the word ‘verandas’ correctly. “I was really nervous during the bee; I was afraid that I would spell a word incorrectly. But it was fun competing with other kids to spell words.”
Castle Pines elementary schools are also competing in the DCSD spelling bee. Claire Nickerson won first place for Timber Trail with Berlin Tharp as the runner-up. Etash Ameria from American Academy won with Avery Pollock close behind. Finally, at Buffalo Ridge, Carmen Martinez won for her school. The winners from each school went on to compete against other winners in the DCSD.
