Junior Noah Morris won the eighth annual Huntington High School spelling bee following a spirited battle with seniors Christopher Chang, Levi Leach and Sam Bergman.
Mr. Morris captured first place after correctly spelling the word “mellifluous.” Huntington School Board member Emily Rogan and Chairperson of Humanities Joseph Leavy served as the competition’s judges.
“After taking the entrance exam for the spelling bee I had doubts that I would even qualify for the school-wide competition,” Mr. Morris said. But the teenager not only qualified, he reached the final round and emerged with this year’s crown
Huntington junior Noah Morris won the 2018 high school spelling bee
The spelling bee finals played out over three periods near the end of a recent school day. The competition was so closely contested that it extended past the final bell. The NEHS officers chose the words posed to contestants and created the sentences used in the competition itself. Students were allowed to attend the event during their free periods or lunch periods or if their respective teacher brought them down to the auditorium.
The officers of Huntington’s Post Ellipsis chapter of the National English Honor Society spent weeks planning this year’s event. A preliminary spelling test was administered in English classes with the top scorers advancing to the finals in the auditorium.
“Being the only junior on stage with three intelligent seniors was certainly intimidating, but I eventually got over the nerves,” Mr. Morris said. “I was exuberant after the final word was read because of the stiff competition that Chris, Levi and Sam brought to the spelling bee.”
Mr. Morris was presented with a $25 gift card to Book Revue. He is a student in English teacher Victoria Lombardi’s class.
Huntington’s National English Honor Society chapter has a membership of 143. The organization’s executive board includes Nolan Piccola (president), Max Robins (vice president), Thomas Edgar-McNerney (treasurer) and Megan Erhardt (secretary). English teachers Aimee Antorino and Helen Guarino serve as the faculty advisors.
To be considered for NEHS membership a student must have a minimum academic grade average of 90, “exhibiting an impressive breadth of academic excellence,” while maintaining an English grade of at least 95.
The English Honor Society officers were pleased with how the spelling bee unfolded. “It’s a really great way to bring the school together,” Mr. Piccola said.
Oh, and by the way, the dictionary defines the word “mellifluous” as an adjective used to describe a voice or words as “sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.”
