Sophomore Andreas Seferian won the ninth annual Huntington High School spelling bee following a spirited battle with seniors and twin brothers Jack and Luke Farrell.
Mr. Seferian captured first place after correctly spelling the word “nonplussed.” Huntington English teacher Victoria Lombardi and Chairperson of Humanities Joseph Leavy served as the competition’s judges. Junior Cat Jamison was the master of ceremonies.
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.
Mr. Seferian is a student in teacher Kristina Morell’s English 10 Honors class. He was presented with a $25 gift card to Book Revue. Nearly 60 students qualified for this year’s spelling bee contest finals.
Huntington’s National English Honor Society chapter has a membership of 128. The organization is led President Zubair Ali, Vice President Madelyn Kye, Treasurer Katie Stock, Recording Secretary Natalie Ciccone and Corresponding Secretary Ryan Hoffmann. 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 94.
Oh, and by the way, the dictionary defines the word “nonplussed” as an adjective used to describe a person who is “surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react.”
