Memorial Middle School eighth grader Jazz Duncan won the 2013 Rockdale County Spelling Bee in record time for the third straight year, after spelling only five words. This is the sixth consecutive year a Duncan sibling has claimed the Rockdale trophy.

The bee was dispatched in less than 30 minutes as most students were eliminated within two rounds.

After being given three regular round words, Jazz Duncan went on to correctly spell her remaining opponent's word and the winning word "accomplice." The runner up, who stumbled on the word "centennial," was Conyers Middle eighth grader Carlos Haynes, son of Debora and Huey Haynes.

This year, the second round continued even after coming down to two contestants. Jazz's parents, David and Heather Duncan, pointed out the standard procedure is to stop the round and move into a championship round. However, the judges decided to let the round continue.

Afterwards, Jazz said it was one of the shortest bees she had been through and that there were no words she heard that were challenging.

This was the first trip to the county spelling bee for runner up Carlos Haynes, who had studied the word list a couple hours a night and listened to the pronounciation of words from foreign languages to prepare for the bee. He is also involved in football, sings in the choir for Springfield Baptist, and plays the base clarinet.

Serving as judges this year were Demeka Breedlove-Mays, the RCPS Curriculum Director, Shirley Chesser, the RCPS Professional Learning Director, and 2012 Rockdale County Teacher of the Year Amy Autry from Lorraine Elementary.

Jazz will go on to the District Five Regional Bee Feb. 23, 10 a.m., Mundy’s Mill Middle School, 1251 Mundy’s Mill Road, Jonesboro. The winner of the regional bee will go on to the State Spelling Bee on March 15, 11 a.m., at Georgia State University–Student Center, Atlanta, for a potential shot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

The participants of the 2013 Rockdale County Spelling Bee were:

Barksdale Elementary
Alyssa Weekly

C.J. Hicks Elementary
Chalandrea Banks

Flat Shoals Elementary
Denncey Bois

Hightower Trail Elementary
Grant Tomlinson

Honey Creek Elementary
Olivia Johnson

J.H. House Elementary
Clemencia El Antouri

Lorraine Elementary
Mackenzie Bosworth

Peek's Chapel Elementary
Triston Seltze

Pine Street Elementary
Ashonti Shy

Sims Elementary
Imani Gunnision

Conyers Middle
Carlos Haynes

Davis Middle
Kayla Johnson

Edwards Middle
Jordan O’Rear (taking the place of Haley Holcombe who had the flu)

Memorial Middle
Jazz Duncan

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Words spelled included:

guidance
velocity
denominator
accurate
monarch
pharmacy
condemn
article
faucet
pidgeon
competitive
scholarship
apprentice
exhaust
monopolize
agriculture
encore
suburban
quarantine
hysterical
miraculous
affiliation
luxury
rutabaga
supplement
patience
centennial
accomplice