Devon St. John Repeats as Spelling Bee Champion

Devon St. John is the undisputed spelling bee champion at Huntington High School after the junior successfully defended the title she first won last year and bested an impressive field on Thursday afternoon in the auditorium. The event was organized by the Post Ellipsis chapter of the National English Honor Society.

Ms. St. John, who has given Cornell University a verbal commitment to play on its NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse team after she graduates from Huntington, correctly spelled the adjective “obsequious.” The Oxford dictionary defines the word as “obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree” as in “they were served by obsequious waiters.”

Ms. St. John has been studying Latin for many years and her mother, Diane teaches Latin at Syosset High School. The junior credits her knowledge of Latin with helping her become excellent at spelling.

“The words were a little tougher this year, but everyone did so well and it was super fun,” Ms. St. John said.

The teenager was joined in the final round by intellectual powerhouses Landry Flynn and Ludo Cattano. 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.

The spelling bee finals played out over three periods. The competition was closely contested. English Honor Society 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.

Huntington’s English Honor Society is led President Lily Tierney, Vice President Anne Tyrrell, Treasurer Kaylee Splendorio, Secretary Marley Joseph and Public Relations Coordinator Ruby Meidenman. English teachers Aimee Antorino and Helen Guarino serve as the faculty advisors.

In addition to the top three finishers, contestants in the auditorium on Thursday included Evan Persampire, Ben Soric, Grey Hodgkinson, Marin Mullaly, Tristan St. Ours, Diego Baires, Jack Semelsberger, Chloe Hunt, Kate Barba, Ava McDonald, Risa Alvarez, Julian Canales, Jessica Maixner, Anthony Addeo, Geoffrey Hoffmann, Ricardo Berry, Charlie Cassatto, Joe Boeckmann, Brooke Parks, Reese Rinaldi, Charlotte Gordon, Christina Ray, Presley Moss, Mia Einemann, Jeremy Gross, Kiley Barch, Richard Harris, Nick Sclafani, Tyler Wheeler, Piper Davis, Samantha Koepele, Isabella Careccia-Johnson, Richard Davis, Jehu Ramsey, Henry Gerberg, Michael Ambrozy, Lucas Spagnoletti and Josue Fernandez Sanchez.

English teacher Michael Schwendemann and Humanities Chairman Joseph Leavy posed the words to the contestants.