Local Middle Schooler Spells Her Way To Washington

Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: March 16, 2008

The first time Samantha Mihalik competed in The News & Advance Regional Spelling Bee, she was knocked out in the first round.
“I was only in fifth grade,” she said, “and I didn’t realize you had to study.”
So last year, she studied — and finished fifth. That inspired the 12-year-old seventh grader at Monelison Middle School to study even more, and she was rewarded Saturday morning with first place and a trip to Washington for the national finals later this spring.
It was a tribute to persistence. And also, to her friend, Megan Kay.
Kay finished second to Mihalik in the Monelison bee. But instead of sulking, she took it upon herself to help Samantha prepare for the regional event.
“She slept over at my house last weekend,” Kay said, “and all we did was study.”
Mihalik captured first place after a tense showdown with Monika Payerhin of Brookville Middle and Claire Etheridge of the Paul Dunbar Middle School for Innovation, which hosted the event. After the field was reduced to three spellers in round eight, this trio went 17 more rounds before Payerhin finally missed in round 19.
Etheridge then misspelled “euphemism,” leaving Mihalik two words away from victory. She nailed the first one, “charlatan.” The championship word was “guillotine” — appropriately enough, because it provided an abrupt and final ending. “I was glad to hear that word,” Mihalik said, “because I knew it.”
For Etheridge, it was her second runner-up finish in as many years.
“She seemed nervous when we got here this morning,” said Tina Mihalik, Samantha’s mother, “but it didn’t show once she started.”
Mihalik managed to squeeze her bee study time in around schoolwork,
gymnastics and piano lessons.
“I don’t know where she got her spelling ability from,” said her father, Bob. “She didn’t get it from me. I could have helped her with math, though.”
A field of 28 students from as many local elementary and middle schools competed. The winner also received a dictionary, a subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica and a $100 savings bond.
Chris Tugman lasted until the fifth round before faltering, but he could well have gotten an award for sheer determination. The Bedford Hills Elementary student broke his leg just a few days ago, but showed up to compete on crutches.