PCA student wins County Spelling Bee

PRINCETON — Sophia Brandenburg and Reilly Leonatti battled their way through nine rounds of competition before Sophia correctly spelled the word "cosmetic" and won the 2012 Bureau County Spelling Bee.

Sophia, 12, is a seventh-grader at Princeton Christian Academy, and Reilly, 14, is an eighth-grader at Dalzell Grade School. For the last four rounds, the girls stood alone in the competition. In the eighth round, Sophia correctly spelled the word "humble," but Reilly left out a "c" in the word "access." With Sophia's correct spelling of "cosmetic," the spelling bee was completed, and a new champion was announced.

Sophia and Reilly were among 24 Bureau County junior high students competing in Wednesday's annual spelling bee sponsored by the Bureau/Henry/Stark Regional Office of Education and the Peoria Journal Star. Among the more than 50 words given to Wednesday's spellers were tentativeness, philosophize, carnage, fluoride, jambalaya, circumlocution, mezzanine and cellophane.

As the 2012 champion, Sophia received a trophy and certificate, as well as a traveling trophy for her school. She will also represent Bureau County at the March 16 regional spelling bee in Peoria.

When asked about her win after Wednesday's bee, Sophia said spelling is something that's comes fairly easily for her. In second grade, she won her class spelling bee and then competed at a larger bee in Rockford, where she placed fifth.

To get ready for Wednesday's bee, Sophia said she studied during the weekend with her mom, Michelle Brandenburg of Peru, from a list Sophia had gotten on Friday at school. Some of Wednesday's words were not on her school list. Those words she knew from past spelling bees.

As far as not getting too nervous before Wednesday's competition, Sophia said she just didn't think about winning but tried to keep a good spirit and positive thoughts about the whole thing. She also prayed to God that she'd do her best and if it was His will, she would win. If not, that would be fine, too, she said.

Reilly, first-runner-up, said she competed in last year's spelling bee as a seventh-grader but didn't do that well. But being in last year's competition did help her know what to expect and to not get too nervous, she said. Like Sophia, Reilly said she prepared for Wednesday's bee by studying school lists and trying to remember words which she already had learned.