OXON HILL, Md. — Sylvie Lamontagne may have missed her last day of school, but the 12-year-old from Lakewood had a good excuse — she was one of just 10 finalists in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night.
To get to the last round, Sylvie had to survive a field of 285 spellers from all 50 states and from countries such as Ghana, Jamaica and South Korea. And unlike Sylvie — a first-timer — a few dozen spellers had been there at least twice before.
Then there were the words themselves.
In the preliminary rounds, Sylvie, a seventh-grader from Creighton Middle School, contended with a slate of tongue-twisters, from “topeng” — a kind of dramatic performance with grotesque masks — to “monepic” — a fancy way of describing a one-word sentence.
Ultimately, Sylvie was knocked out in the first round of the finals, undone by “cerastes,” a desert-dwelling viper. At the microphone, she nearly ran out the clock as she swiveled back and forth before taking a deep breath and giving it a shot.
By night’s end, Gokul Venkatachalam and Vanya Shivashankar were crowned co-champions of the spelling bee. It was the second straight year the event ended in a tie.
The finals marked the culmination of a years-long bee career for Sylvie. She said she began early — in third grade.
“I didn’t do very well at my first few, but then I figured out what lists to study and what not,” she said. “The first time I qualified for my state spelling bee (was) in fifth grade. After that day, I guess I realized I could maybe qualify for the national spelling bee someday, and I did.”
To prepare for a bee, Sylvie said she uses a variety of techniques. In addition to memorization, she studies the roots of words as well as the spelling patterns of different languages. And, of course, there was a lot of hard work — hours and hours of study.
“I took Christmas off, I think,” she said.
It also helps that good spelling runs in her family. Her father, Jeff, said he won some local spelling bees when he was a kid in California.
“I was a good speller. I won some spelling bees,” he said. “But to compete and then do well in the national spelling bee is just unbelievable. And I’m just so proud that my daughter can experience this. I think it’s great.”
But he said the tip he passed along to Sylvie was a simple one.
“Just hard work,” he said. “It really comes down to that.”
Sylvie’s run at the bee attracted a wide range of support back in Colorado. Prior to the finals, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet tweeted: “Way to go, Sylvie! All of us in Colorado are cheering you on in the @ScrippsBee finals tonight. Spell well!”
And her teachers and classmates at Creighton Middle School were watching closely too. Principal Nick Kemmer said staffers were sending regular updates about her progress and that everyone was rooting for Sylvie, whom he called a “dedicated student.”
“She’s awesome. Everyone is thrilled,” he said.
As for missing the last day, well that’s OK, too.
“We’re going to go ahead and mark that as an excused absence for sure,” Kemmer said with a laugh.
Mark K. Matthews: 202-662-8907, mmatthews@denverpost.com or
