Bee proud

The final word was “thaw,” and all Aurora Heights fourth-grader Marshall Penning could think of as he walked up to the microphone, he said, was winning.

He spent the final four rounds of Saturday’s Newton Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee trading words with the fourth grade category second place finisher Emma Noel. The two correctly spelled “arrived,” “buttons,” “victim” and “toward” — neither missing a beat in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church’s McCann Center. But Noel tripped on the word “dodge,” and Penning closed with his final two words.

Penning’s mother, Jessica Kittleson, and her husband Lucas were rooting for Marshall in the audience. She said the Knights’ spelling bee gives young learners a way to put their knowledge to use outside the classroom.

“He does a lot of reading at home,” Kittleson said. “I think this is a really good program to get them to study and have something to work towards.”

Eleven Newton students participated in the fourth-annual Knights spelling bee, representing fourth and fifth grade students. The spelling bee is a statewide tournament sponsored by the Iowa Knights of Columbus. Winners from Newton will go to a regional contest Feb. 21 in Pella, and the winner and runner-up there will advance to the state spelling bee. Grand Knight Cody Muhs has organized the local stage of the event for three years, after resurrecting the spelling bee from a several-year hiatus. He said Newton seventh-grader Daniel Lopez-Sanders won the state competition two years ago.

“I think it’s a great to get kids involved,” Muhs said. “There are certainly a lot of sporting events that are available. Personally, I believe it’s nice to have these other events. I see kids who are sitting here now practicing, showing that hard work pays off.”

Students were given words with difficulty based on their grade level. Students could access hundreds of possible words via the Iowa Knight’s website before Saturday’s contest. The spelling bee is always open to the public.

In fourth grade, Newton will be represented at the regional contest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pella by Penning and second place finisher Emma Noel. Brooke Watson placed in third, Saturday.

In the fifth grade spelling bee, Newton contest winner Owen Muhs and second place finisher Alex Winton, both of Woodrow Wilson Elementary, will compete at Pella. Third place in fifth grade went to Woodrow Wilson student Kaitlyn Bloom. The contest is also available to middle school students, however none compete in Newton’s spelling bee this year.

“It’s an opportunity for the Knights to do a nice community activity for the youth,” Muhs said. “It’s just something fun for the community.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com