Propagate spells trip to Washington

LYNN – The word for the evening was “propagate,” and the last boy standing at the end of a fierce battle of spellers was seventh-grader Mitchell Robson of Marblehead Community Charter School.That was the story of the 30th annual Daily Item Regional Spelling Bee – part of the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee – that was held at Lynn Auditorium Thursday.More than 45 students from schools across eastern Massachusetts competed, including 16 from Lynn public and private schools. Phil Ouellette, vice president, sales at The Item, was the moderator, Laurence Lowe, retired Lynn English High School theater and drama coach, was the pronouncer; and City Council President Daniel Cahill, state Rep. Brendan Crighton and Theresa Curtis, fifth-grade teacher at Sewell-Anderson School, were the judges.This was two straight for Robson, who survived 37 rounds, outlasting three contestants in a match that lasted more than three hours. He finally ended it by spelling “propagate” correctly.Second-time contestant Shane Isaac, grade 5, Covenant Christian School, Peabody, came in second. The youngest contestant, Ashrita Gandhari, grade 2, St. Michael School, North Andover, placed third.Robson noted Thursday was a fierce battle, especially since last year?s 29 rounds represented – at the time – the longest match in the paper?s history.?I had a list of a couple thousand words in my head, and as it got closer to the final rounds, I used my knowledge of the English language to deduce,” said Robson, who practiced over the summer and seriously studied since January.Isaac is proud he made to second, because last year he only made it to the third round.?My studying paid off,” he said.Gandhari gives all the credit to her mom, Sirisha Bhumireddy, who she practiced with for three to four months.?She made it to the 10th round last year,” Bhumireddy said. “She was expecting to be in the top two, so she?s a little upset. But it?s unbelievable. I?m so proud of her.”The Daily Item is the last North Shore regional daily newspaper that still coordinates a regional Scripps spelling bee for students up to and including eighth grade.Robson advances to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in late May, with hotel and travel expenses covered. He also received a Merriam-Webster Third New International Dictionary; The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award – a 2015 United States Mint Proof Set, a one-year subscription to the Britannica Online Premium, and a $100 Barnes & Noble gift card.Prizes are provided by Flagship Travel and Joel and Mary Abramson, who support a number of local public and private education programs. Joel Abramson, a Lynn native and product of Lynn schools, said he and his wife consider the annual spelling bee an important competition and something they want to continue.?We encourage anything we can do to help youth communicate better than just using their mobile devices,” he said. “Unfortunately, children rely on their mobile for spell check and grammar as opposed to reading. That has contributed to the fact that the country has fallen far behind in English and math skills. They also use their phone calculator to add and subtract.”Joel Abramson joked that he uses spell check and auto correct on his iPhone to save time.Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy welcomed the students, as did Lynn Superintendent of Schools Dr. Catherine C. Latham.?Other years, I was so sure I was right, but boy, I was wrong,” Latham joked. “Hope you get all easy words.”On a more serious note, Latham noted even if spellers don?t win, they now better understand prefixes and suffixes and can do just about anything with the root word.?The kids are very smart,” Joel Abramson said. “In the later rounds, they knew how to spell words that I didn?t even know.”Second place was awarded a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card. Third place received a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card. All spellers received a certificate of recognition along with a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card.Peter Mikedis, owner of