Middle School Champion Katelyn Haines
Immediately following Veterans Day Ceremonies on the Village Green, is another revered town tradition — the Spelling Bee, which the Rye Free Reading Room organized four years ago.
Before the competition began this year, Library Director Chris Shoemaker and Board President Kathleen Riegelhaupt introduced 18 word-savvy middle- and high-school students.
Mayor Josh Cohn and fellow Rye resident Adrienne Mecca took turns reading out the words, and, in the case of the truly challenging words, offered their definitions and use in sentences.
After many rounds of competitive spelling, eighth grader Katelyn Haines won the
middle-school competition by correctly spelling “sanpan” (also spelled sampan, which is a flat-bottomed skiff).
Tenth grader Patrick Harrigan was declared the high-school winner after correctly spelling “riveting”.
Katelyn and Patrick’s names will be added to the permanent Spelling Bee trophy that is housed in the main reading room, and they will receive their trophies and scholarship awards at the library’s annual meeting in February.
The middle school scholarship prize is provided by Carpet Trends and the high school prize in memory of Emanuela Riccio.
