Isabella Fletcher is winner of regional bee

STEUBENVILLE -- Isabella Fletcher, a seventh-grader at Harding Middle School, emerged the winner of Saturday’s 2021 Jefferson-Harrison County Regional Spelling Bee, an event in which she and 45 other pupils demonstrated their ability to adapt to a format much different from past years.

To win the bee, Fletcher correctly spelled blastema, which is a mass of undifferentiated cells with the ability to develop into an organ or appendage, in the 16th round of the event, which was held virtually this year.

To maintain social distancing aimed at preventing spread of COVID-19, the pupils competed against each other through live online links established at schools in their area, with judges, pronouncers and coordinators participating at the Jefferson County Educational Service Center's R. Larry George Training Annex.

Fletcher will advance to a preliminary round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee that also will be held virtually.

Asked how she felt about winning, she said, "I don't believe it."

But she admitted she spent hours each day reviewing a list of more than 1,000 words given to her and the other competitors and went through it three times with her mother, Marlo Fletcher. She said though they disagreed at times over a word's pronunciation, her mother's help was invaluable.

In the last several rounds of the bee, Fletcher vied against Mary Jones, an eighth grader with Heart of Mary Homeschool Association, who finished second; and Luke Kanzelberger, an eighth grader at Bishop John King Mussio Junior High School, who finished third.

Also top finishers were: Angelo Martello, a sixth grader at Harding Middle School, fourth; Abigail Dennis, a seventh-grader at Indian Creek Middle School, fifth; Ava Mizak, a fifth-grader at Bishop John King Mussio, sixth; Adrianna Swartz, an eighth grader at Toronto Junior High School, seventh; Kylie Moffat, a seventh-grader at Bishop John King Mussio, eighth; Aurora Zullo, an eighth grader at Harding Middle, ninth; and Addie Johnson, a seventh-grader at Jefferson County Christian School, tenth.

Ron Sismondo, JCESC director of curriculum and professional development and the event's coordinator, noted that like the regional bee, the national bee will be conducted much differently from years past because of concerns about the pandemic.

He noted the national bee's preliminary, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds all will be held virtually instead of in Washington, D.C, with the semifinals to be aired on an ESPN platform around June 27.

Plans call for about a dozen winners of the semifinals to go on to compete live at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort on July 8.

In addition to earning the chance to compete nationally, Fletcher will receive the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, which is a 2021 United States Mint Proof Set provided by Jay Sugarman, chairman and CEO of iStar Financial, in honor of his late father; a one-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium; a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online; a trophy; and $250 from Huntington Bank.

As second place finisher, Jones will receive a trophy from the JCESC, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, donated by Merriam-Webster, through the Herald-Star; and a $150 gift donated by Huntington Bank. As third place finisher, Kanzelberger will receive a trophy from the JCESC, Merriam-Webster's College Thesaurus, Second Edition; and a $50 gift donated by Huntington Bank.

As fourth and fifth place finishers, respectively, Martello and Dennis will receive a trophy from the JCESC, Merriam-Webseter's Collegiate Thesaurus, Second Edition; and a $25 gift donated by Huntington Bank.

All other finishers will receive a trophy from the JCESC and a $25 gift donated by Huntington Bank, and all participants will receive a book bag, courtesy of PNC Bank, and $25 from Huntington Bank.

Sponsors of the bee include S.T.A.R.T. and Old Glory Embroidery; Ascent Resources; Encino Energy; the Franciscan University of Steubenville; Tri-State Financial Services; Gary Cain Realty and Auctioneers; Gus's Goodies; McBane Insurance and Financial Services; Huntington Bank; PNC Bank; and the Ohio Lottery Commission.

Merriam-Webster and Encylcopaedia Britannica are among the national sponsors.

In addition to recognizing the top finishers and other participants, Sismondo acknowledged the assistance of his staff and staff at area schools who worked to establish the links from classrooms, auditoriums and cafeterias both on Saturday and a practice round held Wednesday.

While there were some audio difficulties early in the event, staff and pupils quickly adjusted, moving one group into another area to ensure a clearer connection and speaking loudly and clearly into the computers' microphones so they could be heard by the bee's judges.

Serving as judges were West Liberty University professors Stephen Criniti and Jeremy Larance and retired Indian Creek schoolteacher and JCESC board member Toni Dondzilla.

Returning as pronouncer was Mary Ann Zerosi while fellow retired Buckeye Local schoolteacher Linda Strizak served as as her assistant.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)