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Lawrence County ESC Superintendent Eric Floyd congratulates Joseph Keffer, of Chesapeake Middle School, and Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, after the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. Keffer won first place, while Dunlap came in second place. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Anna Silk, of Chesapeake, competes in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Joseph Keffer, of Chesapeake Middle School, won first place in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Joseph Keffer, of Chesapeake Middle School, won first place in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Landon Dehart, of South Point, competes in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, competes in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. Dunlap won second place in the event. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Olive Simmons, of Ironton Middle School, competes in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Lawrence County ESC student services coordinator Gretta Taylor, with Joseph Keffer, of Chesapeake middle School, who won the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Fourth through eighth graders, who were the winners of their individual schools’ competitions, qualified to take part in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee on Tuesday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

No matter how he placed in the Lawrence County Spelling Bee, it was evident early on that Jospeh Keffer was passionate about the event.

He was more animated than your typical speller, excited dashing to the microphone each time it was his turn.

Keffer successfully made his way through several rounds of increasingly difficult words (at one point he was visually taken aback by the length of “technicalities” when given the task of spelling it), until only he and last year’s champion, Meredith Dunlap, were left of the 18 participants this year.

And he was visually excited when Gretta Taylor, student services coordinator for the Lawrence County ESC, who hosts the bee, asked the audience for a round of applause for the two finalists for making it to that point.

The two went against each other for a few rounds, until Dunlap misspelled “emptiness.”

Following that, Keffer correctly spelled “allowance,” then had to get one more word correct in order to win the event.

And he did so easily, celebrating onstage with a jump after spelling “skulking.”

“It feels awesome,” he said, when asked about his win afterward. “I studied a lot.”

Keffer, 10, said this is his first time taking part at the county level, though he has participated in school bees before. 

The son of Laura and Andrew Keffer, he is a fifth grader at his school and in his second year of eligibility for the bees, which are open to fourth through eighth grades.

Participants of the county bee were winners in their individual school events. Those who took part in the county event can now take an online test to qualify for the district bee for southeast Ohio, held in the spring.

“I am planning to be there,” Keffer said of the event, add that he told teacher earlier than Chesapeake would have someone there.

The winner of the district bee can then go on to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, held in Washington, D.C. in May.

Lawrence County has had two spellers take part at the national level this century — Felicity Jenkins, of Symmes Valley, competed in 2010, while the most recent was Dunlap, who made the trip last year.

The daughter of Maryanne and Brian Dunlap, she is an eighth grader at Fairland Middle School. Her second place showing at Tuesday’s county bee was preceded by two years in first place.

Third place in the county bee went to Austin Campbell, of Sugar Creek Christian Academy. Landon Dehart, of South Point, came in fourth place, while Caydynce Delawder, of Rock Hill was fifth.

Other who took part were Myleigh Bryant, of Rock Hill; Brock Cumpton and Troy Erlenwein, of  St. Joseph; Leandro Ferreira, of Symmes Valley; Parker Fuller, of Fairland; Rylee Igo, of Ironton; Elaina Kitchen, of Sugar Creek; Mason Kitts, of South Point; Mila Lucas, of South Point; Lucian Moore, of Dawson-Bryant; Anna Silk, of Chesapeake; and Colton Webb, of Symmes Valley. 

More Education

To be continued….

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