Fifty kids spent a sunny September Saturday at the Macy’s spelling bee at Ridgedale Mall in Minnetonka.
First prize was a trip to New York, free online tutoring and a gift card. The panel of judges included a school principal and a librarian.
It was Parker Ayotte’s first spelling bee. “I want to go to New York,” explained the Wayzata fifth grader. Earlier in the day, Ayotte scored a touchdown for his football team. “If I win the spelling bee, I’m buying a lottery ticket because it’s my lucky day!”
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Ten-year-old Vanessa Martin traveled from Monticello, Minnesota to compete. She said she felt queasy while waiting for her turn, but she really likes spelling.
Luc Tessier, 9, said he felt a little stressed. He correctly spelled words including “vegetable” but was eliminated in round 5 after missing “generous.” Every contestant received a free book upon leaving.
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By round 6, the group of 50 was whittled down to 14.
The word “immediately” stumped Will Buck in round 7. “I need to study more if I do another spelling bee, which I probably will,” says the fourth grader.
In the end, Paul Difuccia was the champion. He correctly spelled “pejorative” (which the runner-up misspelled) and then “ghetto.” Difuccia is homeschooled in Chaska.
Difuccia will head to the national spelling bee in New York on Sept. 24. He’ll compete for a grand prize trip to California, a tutoring scholarship and gift card.
The master of ceremonies shared a joke that Difuccia told him before the competition:
How do you spell “mousetrap” with three letters?
C-A-T.
