Kane County Student Just Misses Finals of National Spelling Bee
“Trafficker” was the word correctly spelled by North Aurora resident Nick Wilson to clinch the 2016 Kane County Spelling Bee and eventually earn a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete nationally late last month.
Mastering words like “patina,” “koan,” “echt,” and “pitchblende,” Nick spent two hours competing with seven other
students from throughout the county. He went on to compete on May 22 in Washington against 274 students from all over the world at the 2016 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, where he reached the competition’s semi-finals.
The preliminary round was composed of a written and verbal test. Nick, who attends seventh-grade at St. Patrick School in St. Charles, spelled both his given words correctly: “pedantry,” and “dissonance.” Ultimately, Nick was short 3 points on his written test and did not move on to the final round.
Marie Wilson, Nick’s mother, said her son learned a lot during his week-long adventure in the nation’s capital.
“We are extremely proud of Nick for having been a semi-finalist,” she said. “He was able to connect with students that share a love of learning and reading, and it gave Nick a sense of achievement. Now he wants to read even more in order to learn new words.
“Spelling bees allow children that revel in books and academics to prove to the world that intelligence can be a sport — and it can be just as entertaining.”
Nick Wilson Profile
Speller No. 65: Nicholas M. Wilson- Sponsor: Kane County Regional Office of Education, Geneva, Illinois
- Grade: Seventh Grade
- Age: 13
- School: St. Patrick Catholic School, St. Charles, IL
- Profile: Nick enjoys basketball as much as he enjoys spelling. In his spare time, Nick enjoys attending Chicago Bulls games and playing on his school basketball team. Nick is also a fan of the Chicago Bears and likes to play football. Nick enjoys reading mysteries and listening to music. He is an avid coin collector and is interested in history and geography. Nick looks forward to a career in medicine.
Take the Test – Presented By KINDLE
At the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee, 284 spellers took the Preliminaries Test. That test contained 12 Round One spelling words, 12 Round One vocabulary questions, a Round Two vocabulary question and a Round Three vocabulary question for a total potential score of 30 points. Additionally, spellers who spelled correctly onstage during Rounds Two and Three of the Bee had an opportunity to earn an additional three points for each correct spelling. Here’s the catch: If a speller misspelled in either Round Two or Round Three, the speller was eliminated from the competition. A total of 45 spellers qualified for the Finals by earning at least 27 points in the Preliminaries. Click below to try your hand at the actual 2016 Preliminaries Test and see if you could have qualified for the finals.
Spelling (Sample): Round 1 – WORD 4 OF 12
- Language of origin: This word is from a French word.
- Part of speech: noun
- Definition: an unmarried French woman.
- Sentence: Robert is smitten with a young _____ he met during his trip to Paris.
Select one:
About the Kane County Regional Office of Education
Led by Regional Superintendent of Schools Patricia Dal Santo, The Kane County ROE is located in Geneva and serves nine school districts. From teacher licensure assistance to professional development, the ROE’s mission is to advocate for education, provide leadership and perform regulatory functions. Learn more about the ROE’s offerings on Facebook, Twitter and by signing up for the semimonthly newsletter.
