South Jersey Regional Spelling Bee – Atlantic Christian School

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5th Grader Madelyn Petrinec Places in Top 3 at SJ Regional Spelling Bee, Interviewed for WHYY-TV Program on Bee

Fifth grader Madelyn Petrinec finished in 3rd place in the South Jersey Regional Spelling Bee on March 25 and represented ACS well as she competed against 19 other top spellers from schools across South Jersey. WHYY-TV, a sponsor of the Bee, recorded the spelling competition and also interviewed Maddie, along with the winner and runner-up, for a program that will air in June on PBS station TV-12 in South Jersey.

The bee was held at the Camden Big Picture Learning Academy. ACS Spelling Club Coach Jessica Martin as well as Maddie’s parents, Nathan and Kelly Petrinec, siblings Grace and Samuel, and grandparents David and Sue Petrinec, who traveled from Indiana, were on hand to cheer her on. This was not Maddie’s first appearance at the regional bee. She represented ACS at last year’s bee and earned 5th place.

The regional and national competitions are open to students from the 5th to 8th grades. Maddie finished just shy of the opportunity to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC in May. Only the first place winner and runner-up are allowed to advance to the national bee.

“I was sad at first, but then excited to have made it to 3rd place,” Maddie said. “Next year I want to go all the way.” After winning the ACS 1st-8th grade bee on February 16, Maddie had five weeks to study 25 pages of words provided by the regional bee organizers. She said she studied the word list with her mother every night for 40-45 minutes over those five weeks and remembers reviewing the word “connivery,” which came up in the 11th round of the bee. She made a mistake and spelled it with one “n” instead of two. The bee only went two more rounds before concluding with the top two winners.

During the week prior to the regional bee, two South Jersey media outlets published articles about Maddie winning the ACS Spelling Bee and moving on to compete in the regional spelling bee.

CLICK HERE to read the Press of Atlantic City article on Maddie and the ACS Spelling Bee.

CLICK HERE to read the Shore Local Newsmagazine article on the ACS Bee.

ACS Top Spellers Compete in Jan. 27 Bee, 7th Grader Gabriella Goodwin Wins Top Spot

Sixteen top spellers from the 1st to 8th grades competed in the annual ACS Spelling Bee on January 27 and 7th grader Gabriella Goodwin clinched first place. Gabriella will move on to represent ACS at the South Jersey Regional Spelling Bee this spring, which due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be held online.

This was Gabriella’s first spelling bee win, after competing two prior years when she was in the 4th and 5th grades. 3rd grader Madelyn Petrinec placed second and 6th grader Thomas Potenski placed third. The top spellers had advanced to the school-wide Bee by winning classroom spelling bees in December.

During the Bee, which was held on the stage in the gym, proud parents watched and cheered from the audience and fellow students watched via a livestream video into their classrooms. The Bee went 48 rounds, with Gabriella and Madelyn going head to head for the last 8 rounds before Madelyn misspelled “fawn” and Gabriella clinched the victory by correctly spelling the 232nd word in the bee — “gooey.”

“I’m so excited for Gabriella winning first place,” said Mrs. Jessica Martin, the ACS Spelling Club Advisor who oversaw the Bee. “She has consistently been one of the school’s top spellers for several years, and I’m confident she will represent ACS well at the regional bee.”

The 16 classroom finalists, by grade, were: Oritseyemi Pessu and Ariel Wilkins (1st); Charlotte Newman and Caitlin Doucett (2nd); Gabrielle DiSciascio and Madelyn Petrinec (3rd); Mia Gaffney and Gaebriel Hahn-Chaney (4th); Caelyn Domsic and Antonino Miranda (5th); Ethan Costello and Thomas Potenski (6th); Gabriella Goodwin and Layla Kent (7th); and Joshua Kinch and Alek Stein (8th).

Top 3 Spellers – From left: Bee winner 7th grader Gabriella Goodwin; 3rd grader Madelyn Petrinec, who placed second; and 6th grader Thomas Potenski, who placed third.

The final two Bee contestants going head to head – 3rd grader Madelyn Petrinec (left) and 7th grader Gabriella Goodwin (right).

Spelling bee winner 7th grader Gabriella Goodwin and Spelling Club Advisor Jessica Martin.

ACS All-Star Spellers Compete in Feb. 21 Bee, 4th Grader Leila Alobeidy Wins Top Spot

Spelling Bee Winner 4th Grader Leila Alobeidy will represent ACS at the March 21 South Jersey Regional Spelling Bee in Vineland.

Thirteen All-Star spellers in grades 1-8 competed in the ACS Spelling Bee on February 21 and 4th grader Leila Alobeidy was the last speller left standing and will move on to represent ACS at the South Jersey Regional Spelling Bee on March 21 in Vineland.

Leila won first place in the ACS Bee for the third consecutive year. 8th grader Ryleigh Martin of Mays Landing placed second, Leila’s 3rd grade brother, Adam, placed third, and 7th grader Ruth Oke of Williamstown placed a close fourth.

The All-Star spellers advanced to the school-wide Bee by winning classroom spelling bees over the past month. As fellow students, teachers, and proud parents watched from the audience, the Bee went 60 rounds, the longest of any prior ACS spelling bees.

Spelling Bee winner Leila Alobeidy, right, and runner-up Ryleigh Martin shake hands at the end of the Bee.

Leila and Ryleigh went head to head for the last 23 rounds before Ryleigh misspelled “logistics” and Leila clinched the victory by correctly spelling the 287th word in the bee — “reductive.”

“We’re very proud of every student who competed and we know Leila will do a great job representing our school at the regional bee,” said Mrs. Jessica Martin, the ACS Spelling Club Advisor who oversaw the Bee.

At the conclusion of the Bee, Leila’s 4th grade teachers and classmates cheered and gathered round to give her a hug and congratulate her. The classroom finalists, by grade, were: Khaleesi Nyanankpe and Caitlyn Doucett (1st); Tamara Kulov and Luke Sabulao (2nd); Adam Alobeidy (3rd); Leila Alobeidy and Matthew Coates (4th); Sophia Capito and Thomas Potenski (5th); Joshua Oke (6th); Samuel Lilley and Ruth Oke (7th); and Ryleigh Martin (8th).