In their season opener, Indian Springs Middle School came out on top at the Northeast 8 Middle School Spell Bowl competition hosted by Paul Harding Junior High in Fort Wayne on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. This is the seventh year of the past eight years the team has been named conference champs. The team began the season strong with their highest team score in any competition since 2020.
Of the schools in the conference, only three competed in the conference meet – Paul Harding, Crestview and Indian Springs. Indian Springs spelled 44 of their 72 words correctly making them the champions over Crestview’s second place finish with 30 words. Paul Harding placed third with 23 words.
Spelling for Indian Springs were Connor Hart, Deegan Engelberth, Daniela Ruiz, Kaitlyn Strack, Autumn Sery, Joy Bower, Spencer Wilcoxson, and Brayden Springer. Team member, Cale Fageol, did not spell. Only eight spellers spell in competition. Each speller spells nine words with the ninth word also counting as a tie breaker word. ISMS spelled three of the eight tie breaker words correctly: “omniscent”, “ethnographical”, and “vainglorious”. Top spellers for ISMS were Deegan Engelberth and Autumn Sery who each spelled seven of their nine words correctly.
“What an excellent way to start our season,” stated Coach Dennis Beckner, who is in his nineteenth year coaching the Indian Springs team. Beckner continued, “When the team learned that not only had they topped last year’s NE8MS winning score but that they had also topped the score in every competition in 2023, 2022 & 2021, they were elated!” Beckner also serves as coach for the Columbia City High School Spell Bowl team. The CCHS team was named conference champs earlier in October.
The ISMS Spell Bowl team competes again on Wednesday, November 6 in the Area competition at home. The meet begins at 5:30 p.m.
Photo by Carol Wyatt
Indian Springs Middle School 2024 NE8MS Spell Bowl Champs. Pictured from left to right are: (1st row) Daniela Ruiz, Spencer Wilcoxson, Deegan Engelberth, Connor Hart, and Cale Fageol. (2nd row) Brayden Springer, Joy Bower, Autumn Sery, Kaitlyn Strack, and Coach Dennis Beckner.