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Spell-check

Returning champ Winicki goes to Pittsburgh

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton Dominic Loucks, a seventh grade from Beaty-Warren Middle School, works his way through a word during the practice round before the Warren County Spelling Bee on Wednesday.

T-r-e-a-c-l-e.

A blend of molasses, sugar and corn syrup used as a table syrup.

The word is from an originally Greek word that passed into Latin and then French before becoming English.

It also was the winning word in the Warren County Spelling Bee held on Thursday morning at Beaty-Warren Middle School.

Macy Winicki, a seventh grader from Beaty-Warren Middle School, took home the championship.

Again.

Winning last year on the word “malign,” Winicki will make her second consecutive trip to the Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee in March. That will take place at Robert Morris University.

Entering the 10th round, four spellers were left – Winicki, Owen Strandburg, an eighth grader at Beaty; Oscar Lin, also an eighth grader at Beaty and Rocco Siliano, a fifth grader at St. Joseph Catholic School.

“Gondolier” tripped up Lin while “wastrels” knocked Siliano from the competition. Winicki and Strandburg moved on, spelling “cologne” and “garrison,” respectively.

Moving to the 11th round, “dervishes” knocked out Sandburg while Winicki sailed through “galleon” before spelling “treacle” for the win.

The champions at that level will be sent to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

The Times Observer sponsors the event and provides $200 to the winner to help cover the cost of travel to the Western Pennsylvania meet.

Northwest Savings Bank provided gift cards to the top three finishers and McDonalds and Country Fair also make donations for awards that are presented to all participants.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an educational promotion sponsored by The E.W Scripps Company in conjunction with over 270 newspapers around the world.

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