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Sunday, Mar. 28, 1999

Robstown 8th-grader wins spelling bee

Homeschooler will represent S. Texas in Washington

By DOREEN C. BOWENS
Staff Writer

   Colin Stuart said he asked the Lord to help him win the 46th annual South Texas Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday at Bayfront Plaza Convention Center.
   "Before going, I just prayed," the Robstown eighth-grader said.
   It must have worked: Stuart's correct spelling of the word "fulsome" won him a all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to represent South Texas in the annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in May.
   Colin, who is homeschooled by his mother, Laura Stuart, was one of 117 area spelling champions who qualified to compete Saturday. The regional competition was sponsored by the Caller-Times.
   Besides God, Colin gave his mother considerable credit for his victory.
   "My mom studied with me every day," Colin said.
   Runner-up was Jackie Rangel, an eighth-grader at Baker Middle School in Corpus Christi. Jackie ended her run at the regional title by misspelling "hunanese," adding an extra "n" before the first "e."
   Jackie competed in the South Texas Regional Spelling Bee in fifth through eighth grades. This year is her last to compete in the spelling bee.
   "I kept telling myself to take my time," Jackie said.
   Hunter Smith, an eighth-grader at Elliot Grant Middle School in Corpus Christi, took third place. He stumbled on the word "hypocrisy," forgetting the "r."
   One by one, competitors went to the microphone -- some on tiptoe, others bending over to get close -- to spell the words thrown at them from Channel 6 News' Kim Covarrubias and Don Hudson.
   Other words Colin, Jackie and Hunter correctly spelled in the final rounds included, "chaucerian," "gyrate," "periwig" and "neutercane."
   The Caller-Times will pay Colin's expenses in Washington. Colin also received Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 software and an IceRays jersey, as well as the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a $100 U.S. savings bond.
   Jackie, who won second place, received a Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia and an IceRays jersey.
   And Hunter, in third place, received a 10th edition Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and an IceRays jersey.
   Amanda Chavira, a third-grader at Robert Wilson Elementary School in Corpus Christi, stumbled on "mesozoic," in the third round of the spelling bee.
   "I read the entire Scripps Howard book, practiced every day after school with my classmates, and plus I studied with my mom at night," Amanda said. "Gosh, that was a hard word."
   Amanda, who competed in the spelling bee last year, said she'll be back.
   "And this time I'm going to study the harder words," she said.
   Staff writer Doreen C. Bowens can be reached at 886-4334 or by e-mail at bowensd@caller.com
   WINNING WORDS
   Winning words in the South Texas Regional Spelling Bee competitions from 1988 to 1999:
   1999: Fulsome
   1998: Unnecessarily
   1997: Amendment
   1996: Pestle
   1995: Regime
   1994: Busby
   1993: Condolence
   1992: Etiolation
   1991: Centrifuge
   1990: Colloquial
   1989: Ecclesiastic
   1988: Thaumaturgy
   

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  © 1999 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.