Kaua'i finalists win second shot at state bee
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
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PUHI, Kaua'i — The 2006 Kaua'i District Spelling Bee winners last night are the mirror image of the 2005 champions — the '05 winner and runner-up just swapped places this year.
Natasha Abadilla, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from St. Theresa School in Kekaha, won with the final words "catalytic" and "siccative." Last year, she was runner-up.
Last year's district winner, Chaslene Halog, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Waimea Canyon School, was this year's runner-up, after misspelling "inundation."
Abadilla's coaches are Walter Souza and Sister Delores Wisnicky. Halog's coach is Sara Iha.
The two will represent the island in The Honolulu Advertiser's 21st Hawai'i State Spelling Bee on March 26. The championship will be aired on KFVE. The state champion will be sent to the Scripps National Spelling Bee May 31-June 1 in Washington, D.C.
Kaua'i's final two champions spelled through five rounds together after Victoria Terrazas of Kilauea School erred on "prerequisite" and Angelia Tran of St. Theresa missed "croquet."
The other spellers were Danielle Ola and Marc Abundo of Kamakahelei Middle School, Theo Papa and John Gawaran of 'Ele'ele School, Jayme Jacinto of Waimea Canyon, Kyle McDonald and Brooke Wilner of Island School, Brandi Yamamoto and Nicole Isoda of Kapa'a Middle School, and Paulina Fletcher of Kilauea School.
The Kaua'i bee was the first of seven district contests around the state, at which a field of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from 100 schools will be narrowed to 14 finalists for the state bee.
Each finalist will receive gifts from Sears, Island Heritage, Consolidated Theatres and Enjoy Snacks. Travel for Neighbor Island participants will be provided by Aloha Airlines.
The state Spelling Bee champion will win an all-expense-paid trip for two to Washington and a $100 U.S. Savings Bond from Jay Sugarman. Merriam-Webster is donating a Third New International Dictionary to the winner and a Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, to the runner-up.
Other prize sponsors include Radio Shack, Dede and James Sutherland, the Hawai'i Court Reporters and Captioners Association, and Scripps National Spelling Bee. Spellers who compete in the national Spelling Bee win prizes ranging from $50 to $12,000.
The remaining district spelling bees:
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students from 100 schools are participating in this year’s district spelling bees. Information in a previous version of this story was incorrect.
