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Theme school student wins spelling bee
Spelling-Bee

Ralph Brown, an eighth grader at Newton County Theme School at Ficquett, picked up a trophy and the title as the 2014 Newton County Spelling Bee Champion after competing in the county-wide spelling completion held at Newton High School Friday.

Ralph successful spelled words against 18 other contestants from each of Newton County’s elementary and middle schools. He correctly spelled the word “pyrotechnics” in a final round against runner up Jessi Books of Indian Creek Middle School.

As the Newton County winner of the spelling bee, Ralph will represent the county at the Regional Spelling Bee Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 10 a.m. at Putnam County Middle School in Eatonton. Jessi will serve as an alternate.

After eight rounds of the competition, Ralph and Jessi were the last two spellers left standing. As the competition was down to just two remaining contestants, the elimination procedure changed.

When a speller misspelled a word, the other contestant was given the opportunity to spell the same word. If the second contestant spelled the word correctly and spelled the next word on the caller’s list correctly, he or she will be declared the champion.

If the second speller misspelled the new word after correcting the first contestant’s error, the first contestant would be declared the champion if they spelled the misspelled word and the next word on the caller’s list correctly.

When Jessi incorrectly spelled the word “bizarre,” Ralph stepped up to the microphone and spelled the word correctly. When Ralph spelled the next word, “pyrotechnics” correctly, he was pronounced the champion of the spelling bee.

“I didn’t expect to win,” Ralph said after the competition. “It makes me feel like my day is going to go a lot smoother.”

Ralph said he has always been good at spelling and that he really enjoyed reading, writing and spelling different words. To prepare for the bee, he said he studied the word list a lot.

“All the preparation I have done has paid off because now I get to take home this big trophy,” Ralph said.

Runner-up Jessi said she was nervous starting off during the spelling bee. Jessi represented Indian Creek Middle School in last year’s spelling bee as an alternate, but she said she really enjoyed competing in this year’s competition.

“I’m pretty excited. I’m glad I got to be runner-up,” she said.

Jessi explained that during the bee, some words weren’t as easy to spell. She said, “Some of the words were more difficult than others, but if I studied more I could have gotten them.”

Other spellers competing in the bee included Jaisen Fignole, Middle Ridge Elementary; Jayla Byrd, Flint Hill Elementary; Laura Jean Dole, Cousins Middle School; Jet Rawls, East Newton Elementary; Hunter Borg, Mansfield Elementary; Lewis Naza, Liberty Middle; T’raja Jordan, South Salem Elementary; Emanuel Benjamin, Porterdale Elementary; Kelly Ann Baker, Fairview Elementary; Alayna Reilly, Oak Hill Elementary; Emerson Greenridge III, West Newton Elementary; Gavin Grindle, Veterans Memorial Middle; Caden Grindle, Heard-Mixon Elementary; Casey Roberson, Clements Middle School; Jackson Wilkins, Live Oak Elementary; Teagan Roberts, Livingston Elementary; and Tayla Williams, Rocky Plains Elementary.

Eastside High School announces Top 10 graduates for Class of 2025
eastside top 10

Eastside High School has announced the names of the top ten graduates of the Class of 2025. Leading the way are valedictorian, Ian White, and salutatorian, Malachi Scharf. Each of the top ten graduates have exciting prospects ahead of them as they prepare for life after high school.

Eastside High School’s 2025 Top 10 Graduates are:

• Ian White—The valedictorian, Ian plans to attend college and obtain a doctorate in chemical engineering. He selected Mr. Elijah Clark as his top teacher.

• Malachi Scharf—The salutatorian, Malachi plans to major in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech. He chose Mr. Michael Poor as his favorite teacher.

ehs val and sal
Malachi Scharf (left) and Ian White (right) are Eastside High School’s 2025 Salutatorian and Valedictorian. - photo by Courtesy of Newton County School System

• Kaiden Blazina—Kaiden plans to attend Georgia College and State University to study biology with plans to become an anesthesiologist or a missionary. Kaiden selected Mrs. Haley Dawkins as his honored teacher.

• Abby Malcom—Abby will be attending Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in the fall to major in agribusiness. Her goal is to run a floral business. She selected Ms. Sara Beth Hammond as her top teacher.

• Shelby Moore—Shelby plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to pursue a degree in agricultural education. She selected Ms. Alisa Echols as her top teacher.

• Annalie Parker—Annalie will attend Georgia College & State University with plans to obtain a doctorate and pursue a career in the scientific field. She selected Dr. Catrina Pollard as her favorite teacher.

• Chandler Shurtz—Chandler plans to attend Georgia Tech to study industrial engineering. He selected Mrs. Kelly Elder as his honored teacher.

• Robby Thomas, Jr.—Robby will attend Georgia Tech to study aerospace engineering and astrophysics. His goal is to work for NASA. Robby chose Ms. Kayla Stoddard as his honored teacher.

• Anna Underwood—Anna is attending Georgia State Perimeter to study her core classes with plans to transfer to the University of Georgia. Her career goal is to become an elementary school teacher. She selected Mr. Eric Adams as her top teacher.

• Benjamin Weaver—Benjamin is attending Newberry College to play soccer and study in their pre-vet program before moving on to veterinary school. He selected Mr. Caleb Watson as his honored teacher