SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi School fifth-grader wins county spelling bee

He had never competed in a spelling bee before he became a champion.

Samuel Fletcher first won his spelling bee at his school, Saints Francis and Clare School in Greenwood, in his first competition.

His second spelling bee made him a county champion.

On Tuesday, the fifth grader at Saints Francis and Clare School in Greenwood out-spelled 20 other spelling bee participants from across the county for spelling glory. He was named the 2018 Johnson County Spelling Bee champion.

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Participants were third-, fourth- and fifth-graders who won spelling bees at their schools. The spelling bee was co-sponsored by the Daily Journal and the Franklin Community Teachers Association.

Each of the students had to win a spelling bee at their own school to be eligible to participate.

Jacey Walker, a fourth grader at Break O’Day Elementary School, misspelled “mileage.” Fletcher spelled the word correctly and went on to spell “overwhelm” to earn him the county title. Walker was named the runner-up.

The duo battled it out for just two rounds before “mileage” appeared.

Walker and Fletcher competed with other spellers through 10 rounds before they came to the final two.

Fletcher breezed through words “solution,” “nitrogen,” “odorless,” “revision,” “languish and “velocity” before enough spellers had errors and were forced to drop out to leave two remaining spellers. He spelled “hedge” and “rummage” before spelling the words that made him a champion.

Every time a word came to Fletcher, he first closed his eyes and imagined it in his head until he knew he could spell it. Clearly and precisely he spelled each word.

Confidence was essential coming into the spelling bee, so he wanted to study as much as he could to get the confidence he knew he needed. He studied the spelling words every day for two to three weeks, he said.

“I studied a lot,” Fletcher said. “Confidence is key.”

Spelling has always come natural to him, Fletcher said.

He was taught to love reading at a young age and as a toddler, he began reading his bed time stories to his parents rather than have them read to him, he said.

Fletcher is also on the spell bowl team at school, where he competes against other students in spelling.

Being a good reader and speller is essential to adults and everyone, prompting Fletcher to put time into learning the subject, he said.

“Whether you are a cashier or neurosurgeon, you will have to use spelling in day-to-day life,” he said.