COUNTY SPELLING BEE CHAMP … Pictured here with her Participation Certificate is Seventh grade Stryker Schools student, Daniella Cheeseman. She also received a Trophy of which she is very proud, that states she is the 2020 Williams County Spelling Bee Champion. (PHOTO PROVIDED)
By: Rebecca Miller
This year’s Champion at the Williams County Spelling Bee is Daniella Cheeseman of Stryker! Daniella is a twelve year old Seventh grader who loves words and was so happy to be the winner this year. She explained that she was in the competition last year as an alternate but did not get to participate.
The County Spelling Bee is for Fifth through Eighth grade students and at the 2020 Competition there were seventeen students from nine schools. One of the other participating students was Daniella’s own younger brother, Aaron, who is in the fifth grade at Stryker. She was happy to have had her parents, Susan and Bryan, her other siblings, a friend and her mom as well as her school principal, Mr. Dave Schultz, present at the Spelling Bee to support her.
Daniella explained that at the end of the Bee, the winner has to have spelled two words in a row correctly, so she and the runner up, a boy from Hilltop, missed a few words each before she was able to spell her last two words correctly, ending with ‘extinguish.’
“I used to not like spelling tests,” Daniella shared, “but now I love words and I am writing a book.” Her book is a fictional one about aliens on earth and she hopes to get it published when she finishes it.
In order to participate in the County Spelling Bee, one has to win their Classroom Bee and the School Bee. Daniella said that she is really hoping that she will bet to be in the County Bee again next year as she will be in the Eighth Grade and it will be her last opportunity.
Congrats to a very smart young girl!
Rebecca may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com