Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Monday, March 7, 2016
(KENTUCKY) - Amber Voigtschild, winner of the Lawrence County Spelling Bee, placed second at the 2016 The Ford Motor Company Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee Saturday afternoon.
The Spelling Bee showcases 61 of Kentucky and Southern Indiana's top spellers in a suspenseful competition that leaves only one standing. But it took five rounds and 158 words and a championship round to crown a winner.
To advance to this event, Voigtschild, a 7th grade Lawrence County home school student, won the 42 Annual Lawrence County Spelling Bee.
10-year-old Tara Singh, a Louisville Classical Academy Student, correctly spelled "eponym," (a person) giving their name to something - beating Amber who misspelled 'amygdala." The amygdala is an almond shaped mass of nuclei (mass of cells) located deep within the temporal lobe of the brain.
Other words Amber spelled correctly were: "episode", "grunion", "megalomania", "sluiceway", and "dentifrice".
Singh received the John & Joan Murphy Memorial Scholarship Fund, a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond at maturity.
Amber Voigtschild received the Barbara Cox Memorial Scholarship, a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond at maturity.
The next three top finishers: Connor Wade - Pulaski County (3rd Place) and Maia Kuehne-Seeber - Louisville (4th Place) and Charley Miller - Spencer County (5th Place) also receive savings bonds - $3,000 for third, $1,500 for fourth and $1,000 for fifth.
The prize money was provided by the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation - the Derby Festival's charitable arm.
"One of our more far-reaching events, this competition showcases talented students from around Kentucky and Southern Indiana and it's always a nail-biter up until the final word is spelled," said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO. "We're thankful our Foundation is able to offer savings bonds to the top five spellers. We hope they'll be able to use those funds to help with college expenses."
In addition to a $10,000 saving bond, Tara Singh will receive a Britannica online subscription gift certificate, Blue orange games: Speedeebee, an Amazon.com gift card and a trophy. The winner will also have the opportunity to ride the Winner's Float in the 61st annual Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on May 5th.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee is sponsored by Ford Motor Company, with Media Sponsors Kentucky Monthly and 840WHAS.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.