Mary Harrington is the Island spelling champ

By Pat Waring - March 15, 2007

Mary Harrington, an eighth grader at the West Tisbury School, will represent the Vineyard at the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in May. Mary's victory in the 16th annual Martha's Vineyard Schools Spelling Bee, sponsored by The Martha's Vineyard Times, was finally assured after 24 grueling rounds, including first a tense three-way contest and then a long and dramatic one-on-one with the second-place speller, home-schooled Reid Yennie - a struggle in which it appeared for a while that neither would succumb.

For all the excitement, anticipation, and nervous energy filling the Harbor View Hotel's Edgartown Room yesterday morning, it might have been a sports championship. But it was a championship of a very different kind that had the crowd of students, educators, and proud parents buzzing.

Mary Harrington is the best speller. Photos by Ralph Stewart

The crowd had turned quickly silent as bee coordinator Jean Holenko, an Oak Bluffs School guidance counselor, introduced the spellers. The competitors were determined through individual classroom and then school bees earlier this winter. The competition includes students in grades four through eight.

Times publisher Peter Oberfest, serving as pronouncer for the contest, welcomed the gathering, offering appreciation to the students, teachers, and administrators as well as the Harbor View Hotel for hosting the event, its general manager Dick McAuliffe, the Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, and the judges.

"I think we're going to have a lot of fun," said Mr. Oberfest as the students waited nervously.

The panel of three judges included superintendent of Vineyard Schools James Weiss, Alisa Lengel from the Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, and Patricia Carlet, retired as media specialist at the Edgartown School. Ms. Carlet, who proposed that The Times sponsor the first bee in 1991, has served as its coordinator for many years.

Home schooler Reid Yennie was runner-up, after a long, tough one-on-one against winner Mary Harrington.

"This event would not be possible without the support of a local newspaper," Ms. Holenko added, explaining that The Times underwrites all of the costs associated with the bees, including the week's trip to Washington D.C. for the winner and family for the national competition.

Yesterday's contest began with Edgartown School's Vivian Ewing spelling the word "safari." Emma Berryman-Moore of Oak Bluffs confidently followed with "gristle," Anna Hughes spelled "idiom." "Paddock," "retrospective," "sequin," went smoothly but "dissect" stumped one speller, and the number was six. "Diorama" quickly eliminated another student, "stethoscope" a third.

Instructed to remain silent, the audience members made not a sound though often drew in a deep breath as the contestants labored with intense concentration. Some would gaze into the distance as they spelled, others looked at Mr. Oberfest as he pronounced each word and gave a definition. They stood straight, hands at sides, a workmanlike pose for the challenging job.

Island Bee contestants included, left to right, champion Mary Harrington, a West Tisbury eighth grader ;Helen Driesen, a Chilmark fourth grader; Reid Yennie, home schooled; Anna Hughes, grade seven, Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School; Emma Berryman-Moore, grade five, Oak Bluffs School. Vivian Ewing, an Edgartown School eighth grader, is at the mike. Not pictured, Noelle Nelson, a Tisbury School seventh grader.

It took only three rounds for a quartet of solidly proficient spellers to emerge. Vivian Ewing, and eighth grader Anna Hughes, a Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School seventh grader, 11-year old Reid Yennie, and Mary Harrington appeared relaxed and composed as they stepped to the microphone, spelling confidently, seldom hesitating, asking for clarification when needed. The words got longer - "antibiotic...chronology...conjecture..." When Mr. Oberfest intoned the word "implement" Anna Hughes, began spelling at once before he had a chance to give the definition.

"Wait a second," he said gently with a smile, bringing chuckles from the audience and contestants for a brief moment of relief.

By round 10, the hesitations came more often, the students often rushed through the last few letters, ending with a hopeful questioning tone. All four continued until Valerie, usually certain, missed "susceptible." "Confetti" was the word that tripped up Anna Flynn, leaving Reid and Mary to spell on. The well matched pair continued valiantly for nearly 10 more rounds. Even when Reid Yennie missed "tarragon," Ms. Harrington's victory was not assured. But after correctly spelling "falsetto" and, finally, "mantilla" she became the winner and sat down, shyly accepting a burst of applause which turned into a standing ovation.

Unaffected by the pressure, Anna Hughes of the Charter School.

Each of the seven spellers accepted bags of gifts from The Times and savings bonds from the Chamber of Commerce, $100 for the first prize winner, $50 for all the other competitors.

Along with the first and second place winners Mary Harrington and Reid Yennie, other finalists were: Anna Hughes, third place; Vivian Ewing, fourth place; Helen Driesen, grade four, Chilmark School, fifth place; Emma Berryman-Moore, grade five, Oak Bluffs School, sixth; Noelle Nelson, grade seven, Tisbury School, seventh.

Several present who had attended many bees said this was one of the longest, at 24 rounds and approximately 35 minutes.

"It was wonderful," said Ms. Carlet. "I'm very, very happy to see the kids seem to be getting better at their spelling."

"The kids were amazingly good spellers," said Mr. Oberfest. "My heart was in my mouth for 'mantilla.' It was a great competition."