Crofton Student Wins County Spelling Bee

ANNAPOLIS—Emily Durell, an eighth-grader at , is the county's 2011 spelling champion. When she first heard her championship word Saturday morning in round 10 of the Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee, she said she “totally freaked out.”

Apparently, that was for good reason.

Her word? Execration. It’s a noun meaning "the act of cursing or denouncing."

It may sound easy now, especially reading it. But in a packed room of family members, teachers, administrators and 26 other contestants who had all misspelled a word before her, “execration” was not exactly what Emily said she was expecting to hear.

“I think it was on the list but I’ve never used it in a sentence,” the 13-year-old said shortly after correctly spelling the word. “It’s totally mind-blowing. I never expected to be the winner.”

Cheers erupted in the school board meeting room in the Parham Building on Riva Road when Emily, who finished second at last year’s county bee, took the top title in this 23rd annual event. She will move on to compete in the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee on June 1 in Washington, D.C.

“I walked away from last year feeling a lot of pressure to one-up myself for this year’s competition,” Emily said in a released statement. “It was really intense, but I had a lot of help. My parents helped me study and my teacher, Mrs. [Susan] Casler [of Crofton Middle] was really supportive. My schoolmates were also cheering me on. I’m overwhelmed and excited to go to the national competition.”

There was a four-way tie for second place in the county contest, with each speller bowing out in the ninth round. The second-place winners were Courtney Dixon of Annapolis Area Christian School, Carrie Shade of the School of Incarnation, Jessica Schultz of St. Jane Frances School and Hope Lomvardias of St. Martin’s Lutheran School.

Christopher Umanzor of Old Mill Middle School South and Kate Reed of Severn School tied for third place.

Many of the students offered a thumbs-up to smiling spellers as they walked successfully back to their seats, or whispered “good luck” as the next speller walked up to the microphone.

All of the contestants received a prize bag with various gifts, including a $25 check from the 21st Century Education Foundation. Those in the top three spots each will receive a trophy and additional cash prizes. The second-place finishers also won a Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and an Amazon.com gift card.

As the champion, Emily also won a Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and a Samuel Louis Sugarman Award certificate and savings bond donated by Jay Sugarman, in honor of his father, a lifelong advocate of education.

For the first time, the bee was broadcast live on AACPS-TV on Channel 96 on Comcast and Broadstripe and Channel 36 on Verizon. The event will be shown again and the schedule can be found on the school system's website.