Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

February 15, 2007 issue

Can You Spell Miscellaneous?

Ledah Finck Wins Watauga County Schools Spelling Bee

Ledah Finck, a seventh grader at Valle Crucis Elementary and daughter of David Finck and Marie Hoepfl, won the Watauga County Schools Spelling Bee for 2007 when she correctly spelled miscellaneous in the tenth round of competition. The ten rounds required to identify this year’s winner made it the longest Spelling Bee ever for the Watauga County Schools. 

The individual school spelling bee winners competing in the event included eighth grader Danielle Eggers of Bethel, eighth grader Jordan Williamson of Blowing Rock, seventh grader Dustin Parlier of Cove Creek, seventh grader Baron Fenwick of Green Valley, fourth grader Philip Goetz of Hardin Park, seventh grader Emily Warren of Mabel and fifth grader Michael Koh of Parkway. 

Countywide winner Ledah Finck of Valle Crucis will go on to the state’s Northwest Region competition in Winston-Salem next month. The new champion has been at Valle Crucis since kindergarten but was born in Reader, W.V., a fact her parents note “may explain her love of reading.” Her skill as a speller is not new: she first won the school spelling bee at Valle Crucis when she was only in the fourth grade.

The Watauga County Schools Spelling Bee again enjoyed widespread support from local businesses and other organizations. Each of the eight school champions received up to five prizes from local businesses, including a $50 savings bond from High Country Bank, basketball tickets from ASU, free admission for six to Tweetsie Railroad and additional prizes from Blue Horse Promotions, Chick-fil-A, Hardee’s, Marble Slab Creamery, the Mast Store Candy Barrel, Piedmont Federal and Wendy’s. In addition to these prizes, the countywide champion receives a $100 savings bond from High Country Bank, and the winner and the three students who tied for second place each receive a large gift basket from Chick-fil-A. The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce provided great help in contacting businesses and rounding up the prizes for the event.

Bill Fisher of MTN Television donated his time to pronounce the words for the Spelling Bee.  Watauga County Schools Board of Education Vice Chair Deborah Miller, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce President Dan Meyer and Hardin Park School Media Specialist Derek Edmisten contributed their time to serve as judges for the event.