Cedar Ridge Elementary School Sixth Grader Sophia Liu with her father, mother and younger sister after being named the Cache Valley Spelling Bee 2023 winner Wednesday night.
LOGAN—Students from four local elementary schools showcased their spelling ability during the First Cache Valley Spelling Bee on Wednesday night at Canyon Elementary School.
After 15 rounds of intense spelling competition, Cedar Ridge Elementary school sixth grade student Sophia Liu took the title after correctly spelling “phenomenon” and “countenance.”
Sophia said she felt accomplished and happy to see the hard work she put in paid off.
“[I’m] really happy,” Sophia said. “I think all the hard work paid off.”
Sophia’s father Tianbiao “Leo” Liu said the competition was a good experience not only for his daughter but for all the kids that participated.
Liu said Sophia and him practiced for multiple days leading up to the competition.
“I am so proud of her,” Liu said. “She put lots of effort into this competition.”
Liu said helping Sophia practice for the spelling bee reminded him of when he studied for the Graduate Record Examinations to come to the United States. He said he can see his dream in Sophia.
According to Liu, Sophia developed her own way to learn the words.
“She is very strategic,” Liu said. “She has her own way to memorize words.”
Sophia gave some advice for students who would like to participate in the spelling bee next year.
“Always practice more,” Sophia said. “Even if you think you got all the words down, there must be something that you might struggle on, keep going through.”
Canyon Elementary School Principal Leslie Burt said the organization committee worried they would run out of words after 15 rounds.
“I know the kids were excited and nervous and I think they did an amazing job,” Burt said. “We got a little worried in the end. We thought we might run out of words because we had some great spellers.”
Overall, 20 students from Canyon Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Cedar Ridge Elementary and Summit Elementary schools participated in the spelling bee.
Burt said they would like to keep the spelling bee going for next year and hope that more schools will join the competition.
“We are happy to host the Cache Valley Spelling Bee and hope it can continue to grow from year to year,” Burt said.
CES PTA member Lindsay Johnson said if any other parent organizations from other schools would like to join the spelling, they can contact Johnson at Whiteflower.antheia@gmail.com.