Lexington sixth grader wins Richland County Spelling Bee with 'forensics'
Ella Rastetter cupped her hand over her mouth in disbelief on Thursday when she won the Richland County Spelling Bee.
The sixth grader at Eastern Elementary School in Lexington bested 46 other students, correctly spelling the championship word "forensics" in the 10th round.
Lena Sasis, an eighth grader at Madison, placed second. Miles Parker, a seventh grader at Lexington Junior High, and Adrianna Alexander, a Madison seventh grader, also finished in the final four.
Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center held the competition virtually. The top 15 placers advanced to the Tri-County Spelling Bee, to be held in person on Feb. 9 at MOESC.
Ella talked to a News Journal reporter in a conference room at Eastern Elementary, where Principal Michael Grist splurged for pizza for Ella, adviser Jennifer Berry and the other four students who took part in the bee.
"Not what I expected," Ella said when asked for her reaction to winning. "I like going into things with low expectations."
She is a bit apprehensive about the in-person bee on Feb. 9.
"I think it'll be worse when I have to see people's faces," Ella said.
Berry teaches math at Eastern, in addition to being the spelling bee coach.
"Ella's very bright. She's gifted in all subject areas," Berry said.
Spelling bee champ can't pick her favorite subject
When asked to choose her favorite subject, Ella said, "All of them. I don't really have a favorite."
A number of spellers at Thursday's bee fell early. By the third round, only 30 of 47 remained. Two judges held up signs signaling whether a word was spelled correctly or incorrectly. Green meant correct, and pink meant incorrect.
Reader Colleen Haynes did her best to console incorrect spellers, telling them "good try."
Students sported all kinds of looks for the bee. One Crestview boy donned a suit and tie, while a Lexington Junior High School girl rocked out in an AC/DC "Back in Black" T-shirt.
Even though there was no audience, one boy crossed his arms and rocked back and forth nervously each time he spelled a word.
After four rounds, the 15 qualifiers were set. Leah Barger read off their names and congratulated them before the competition resumed.
By round six, MOESC staff chose more difficult words. Only eight spellers were left after that round.
Lexington Local Schools has 4 of top 8 placers
"When we got to the top eight, we (Lexington Local Schools) made half, which is awesome," Berry said. "I'm not super surprised. The kids down here do very well."
Ella took part in weekly practices at Eastern, but she said she didn't put much outside effort into preparation.
Her mother, Michelle, is a kindergarten teacher at Western Elementary School in Lexington, while her father, Brent, established a wrestling dynasty at Lexington High School. He is now coaching at Otterbein University.
"A lot of kids are, like, 'You're only smart because your mom's a teacher,''' Ella said. "It doesn't work that way."
During Thursday's competition, Berry kept texting Ella's dad to keep him abreast of the bee.
Berry said the five students from Eastern supported their fellow classmates throughout.
"They were very much cheering each other on. I was happy to see that," Berry said.
Ella said her dad told her he'd take her somewhere special to celebrate her victory. She is looking forward to shopping.
"I like buying things," she said with a smile.
mcaudill@gannett.com
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Twitter: @MNJCaudill
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Lexington sixth grader wins Richland County Spelling Bee
