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Andrew Macdonald showed Saturday afternoon that preparation and hard work can pay big dividends.
The eighth-grader at Bishop John King Mussio Junior High School survived nearly two hours of competition in the Buckeye North Elementary School auditorium to win the 2023 Jefferson-Harrison County Regional Spelling Bee Presented by the Herald-Star.
Macdonald's correct spelling of "reggae," a noun that stands for the popular music of Jamaican origin that combines native styles with elements of rock and soul music and is performed at moderate tempos with the accent on the offbeat, has earned Macdonald an expenses-paid trip to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C., to participate in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee. The bee is the centerpiece of the annual Bee Week, which will run from May 28 through June 3.
The son of Suzanne and Paul Macdonald of Steubenville will be making his second trip to the National Bee, having also won the 2022 regional event.
All of the participants in Saturday's bee had survived rigorous competition just to advance to Saturday's event. Each of the fifth-through eighth-graders had participated in room, building and district bees before earning the right to compete in the regional bee. Along the way, they learned valuable lessons that should serve them well through the remainder of their lives.
The bee requires discipline and daedication, as well as the willingness to spend countless hours studying lists of words, learning their proper spellings as well as the nuances of origin and proper usage.
The Herald-Star has been sponsoring the bee since 1985. The competition has improved each year, as pupils, their families and educators have become more involved in the preparation, realizing the valuable lessons academic competitions can teach.
Once again, the bee has been coordinated by a committee chaired by Ron Sismondo, the director of curriculum and professional development at the Jefferson County Educational Service Center.
The hard work and dedication of the committee have made the program run smoothly year after year.
Helping to sponsor the bee were Eastern Gateway Community College, Old Glory Embroidery, Special Tactics and Rescue Training, PNC Bank, the Mingo Junction Knights of Columbus, Ascent Resources and the Ohio Lottery Commission. Providing special assistance were Merriam-Webster Inc. and Encyclopaedia Brittanica, which again have provided prizes for regional champions across the country.
We congratulate Macdonald on winning Saturday's bee, and wish him well in the national bee.