2009 PARIS SPELLING BEE FINALS
June 14, 2009
left to right: Loic Lescoat, 1st place for Gazelles; Niamh Howley 2nd place for Gazelles; Jimmy Root 1st place for Cheetahs; Amelie Matisse 2nd place for Cheetahs
June 7, 2009
Paris, France
Twenty-five finalists from 18 different schools in the Paris region competed in the 2nd annual Paris Spelling Bee on Sunday June 7th at the American Library in Paris. Children were grouped into two categories: Gazelles for the 7-9 year-olds and Cheetah’s for the 10-13 year-olds.
Jimmy Root, a 12 year-old from Ecole Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel (EABJM), won the first prize trophy for the Cheetahs, beating out last year’s champion Amelie Matisse in the 25th round by correctly spelling the word ufology. Eleven-year-old Amelie, from Ecole Active Bilingue Parc Monceau, sparred with Jimmy for 13-rounds before taking the second-place trophy.
Nine-year-old Loic Lescoat from Ecole Michel-Ange took the first prize among the Gazelles in the 22nd round following a heated battle with nine-year-old Niamh Howley from Institute de l’Assomption-Lubeck . Loic’s winning word was pesticide after a 14-round duel with Niamh who won the second-place trophy. Niamh also attends the Roaming School House for English instruction.
Both first-place winners also received a full-family membership for the American Library in Paris . WH Smith bookstore and the American Library donated books to the contestants, while the Roaming School House contributed to the cost of trophies. American Library Director Charlie Trueheart and journalist Anne Swardson served as the official pronouncers.
The event was a community enrichment activity organized by Gifted in France (giftedinfrance.blogspot.com). Contestants had to meet the age requirements and participate in the April 4th written preliminary round. All 34 children who participated in the preliminary testing qualified for the June 7th oral competition.
Below are the rest of the winners and finalists.
In the Cheetahs group, EAB Monceau’s 11 year-old Alexandra Sasha Tsovma finished in third place, 10 year-old Caroline Rice of Lennen Bilingual School finished in fourth place, while EABJM’s Lydia Field and Anne-Sophie Fayet of Institut Notre-Dame tied for fifth place. Both Lydia and Anne-Sophie are 11 years-old.
In the Gazelles group, eight year-old Jack Souami, who placed 2nd place last year, finished in third place this year. He attends the French public school Ecole Velpeau and the Roaming School House. Nine-year-old Julia Connelly of EABJM finished in fourth place. Adria Neissner of Eurécole and Louis Miller of Sections International de Sèvres, both 8 years-old, tied for fifth place.
Any parent or school interested in participating in the 2010 Paris Spelling Bee is encouraged to contact Helen Sahin Connelly by emailing ParisFranceSpellingBee@gmail.com as soon as possible so that logistical planning of the next event can begin.
Gazelles (7-9 year-olds) |
|
| Loic LESCOAT Ecole Michel-Ange, CM1 |
Niamh HOWLEY Institut de L’Assomption/ The Roaming School House CM1 |
| Jack SOUAMI Ecole Velpeau/Roaming School House CE2 |
Julia CONNELLY EAB Jeannine Manuel, CM1 |
| Louis MILLER Sections Int. de Sèvres, CE1 |
Adria NIESSNER Eurecole CE2 Gabrielle VOIRIOT Section Int. de Sevres, CE1 |
| Taeyon KIM American School of Paris, CE2 |
Lily LEPAGE Ecole Froment, CM1 |
| Emma NEWMAN Ecole La Fontaine, CE2 |
Gabriellea VOIRIOT Section International de Sevres, CE1 |
| Gabriel BUGEAUD Ecole Jean Rostand, CM2 |
CM1 Ella QUAINTON Ecole Charles Péguy, CM1 |
| Einin O’DONNELLEcole Froment/Roaming School House CE1 | |
Cheetahs (10-13 year-olds) |
|
| S. James ROOT EAB Jeannine Manuel Théâtre, 5ème |
Amélie MATISSE EAB Monceau, 6ème |
| Alexandra Sasha TSOVMA EAB Monceau, 6ème |
Caroline RICE Lennen Bilingual School, CM2 |
| Lydia FIELD EAB Jeannine Manuel Théâtre, CM2 |
Anne-Sophie FAYET Institut Notre-Dame, CM2 |
| Shannon CONNELLY EAB Jeannine Manuel Théâtre, 5ème |
Inès AVENEL Ecole Hattemer, 3ème |
| Adam SOUAMI Ecole Velpeau and the RSH, CM2 |
Natalie McCAFFERTY Victor Hugo, 6ème |
| Brielle Boisson de Chazournes Ecole Rochefoucald and the RSH, 6eme | Cliona O’DONNELL Ecole Froment/British Council, CM |
Pronouncers:
Charlie Trueheart, Director, American Library in Paris; Anne Swardson, Journalist
Bee thankful!
The Paris Spelling Bee is most grateful to the American Library in Paris
for hosting the Bee for the second year in a row. For the prizes, we thank ALP for giving full family memberships to first-place winners in each category. We also thank both WH Smith bookstore and the ALP for donating books to the contestants along with the Roaming School House for contributing towards the cost of the trophies.
Bee Thankful again!
A world of thanks to all the volunteers who helped us along the way. Special thanks to Jude Smith, Rose Burke, Janet Hoffman and Cate O’Connor. Without them… well let’s not even think about it!
Visit our blogs
parisfrancespellingbee.wordpress.com giftedinfrance.blogspot.com
2009 Paris Spelling Bee Contestants in the Gazelles group (7-9 year-olds) Left to right: Lily Lepage (15), Julia Connelly (66), Loic Lescoat (65), Niamh Howley (39), Gabriel Bugeaud (71), Ella Quainton (30), Emma Newman (84). Front row, left to right: Einin O’Donnell (33), Adria Niessner (24), Jack Souami (90), Louis Miller (23), Gabrielle Voiriot (41), Taeyon Kim (69)
PARIS FRANCE SPELLING BEE 
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