Out of more than 200 spellers in the Middle School, the top two have some things in common: both are girls, both love to read, both are successful students, and both are sixth graders. Yes, two sixth graders finished first and second in The Benjamin Middle School Spelling Bee on January 25.

After Emilie Dubiel missed “netsuke,” Bryce Weisser nailed “a posteriori” and then “zamboni’ to claim the crown.

“I prepared and studied the words that were given out by Scripps a lot and I [was] very happy to win,” said Weisser, who also won the lower school spelling bee last year as a fifth grader. “
However, despite Weisser’s experience, it was still a bit nerve-wracking for her.“ I was nervous at first because of all the people, but as the rounds continued and I kept getting words right, I felt better,” she said.

Weisser said she will study hard for the Final Regional Southeastern Florida Scripps Spelling Bee which will be held at Benjamin Hall on February 22. If she wins that bee, she will qualify for a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. later this spring.

If Weisser can’t make it to the regional bee, Dubiel, the runner-up, would take her place. Although she wanted to win, Dibiel is not disappointed about coming in second. “I am not mad about losing because I tried very hard, my parents are proud of me, and because my friend is going to the [regional] final.” Dubiel said she only really looked at the words for the school bee for 20 minutes, but studied around an hour for the class bee. “It was fun, the audience was a little scary, but I did better as the rounds kept going,” she said.

Weisser and Dubiel topped a field of 30 spellers who qualified for the school bee based on their English class bees. The top two spellers from each of the 15 English classes in grades six, seven, and eight were middle school finalists. To prepare, all 30 spellers were given a multi-page packet of words whose origins ranged from Arabic and Old English to Asian and German.

The Middle School wishes to thank the four judges who presided over the finals: English Department Chair Mrs. Kathleen Devine, English teacher Mrs. Denise Ponchock, Student Services Director Mrs. Susan Poncy, and social studies teacher Mrs. Pamela Quigley. Devine also served as the pronouncer, expertly pronouncing the long list of difficult words for each speller, and providing the words’ etymologies, definitions, and examples.

So what advice does Weisser and Dubiel, the Middle School’s most superb speller, have for those who want to follow in her footsteps? “I would tell other people who want to be champions to study hard and always try and reach for your goals,” she said.