Busbee-Corbett seventh-grader correctly spells 'silhouette,' wins

In one of the most challenging Aiken County spelling bees in memory, Tialeisha Corley - a Busbee-Corbett Elementary/Middle School seventh-grader - took the top prize.

She edged Leavelle McCampbell Middle School eighth-grader Mikal Creech for the title. Third place went to Tommy Touch Carroll, an Our Lady of Peace School fifth-grader and the youngest contestant in the contest.

Tialeisha won a laptop computer from event sponsors URS Corp. and Savannah River Remediation. The companies also gave all 10 participants $100 gift certificates to Books-A-Million.

The Aiken Standard, a co-sponsor, provided plaques to the top two finishers, presented by Executive Editor Tim O'Briant, the host for the spelling bee.

After several rounds of play, the spelling bee came down to Tialeisha and Mikal. At that point, the rules changed. Once one of the students misspelled a word, the other had to spell two other words correctly to take the championship.

Mikal eventually stumbled on the French word, "roux," which, according to the Culinary Arts Dictionary, is a mixture of fat and flour used for thickening sauces.

"I never thought of that word before," Mikal admitted, well, ruefully.

Tialeisha still had two words to go and easily got through "annexation."

She paused for a moment over the next word and then got it right - "silhouette," acknowledging she almost left out the letter "h."

Still, "I really felt prepared," said Tialeisha, who added that her first appearance at the district bee in 2010 helped her gain confidence.

She got hugs from her mom, Betty Corley, and her principal, Rose Marshall.

"She has always been a good student and has worked hard on the words," Corley said.

The other contestants were Ashlee Kay, St. Mary Help of Christians School; Stella Rounsefell, Schofield Middle School; Matthew Nash, Paul Knox Middle School; Savannah Gossett, Midland Valley Prep; Matthew Layton, RS-M Elementary/Middle School; Nicholas Clevenger, New Ellenton Middle School; and Ashley Partin, Jackson Middle School.

Dr. Lloydette Young, the Leavelle McCampbell principal, said Mikal was disappointed after the match.

"But he did very well," she said. "He's an excellent student and an avid reader. I'm very proud of him."

Spelling bee coordinator Michele Conner, the Aiken County School District's elementary education director, said she was startled by the difficulty of the words this year.

They included kinesiology, euphonious, nepotism, sabotage, decaffeinated and oscillation.

"I think they all did a real good job to stay in as long as they did," Conner said.

Em Ligon, an Aiken High English teacher, served as the pronouncer. The judges were retired Aiken Standard editor Jeff Wallace and Aiken County School District administrators Dr. Rosa Ishmal and Sharon Kahl.

Dean Campbell, SRR's public relations manager, said he appreciated the parents and teachers who attended the event to support the children.

"We're pleased to be a supporter of this event and look forward to it every year," he said. "This shines a spotlight on academics."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.