By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Cass County's best speller, Victoria Pearson, penned a new chapter in Cassopolis domination at the 24th annual spelling bee at Southwestern Michigan College Tuesday.
Victoria, 11, became the first fifth grader to ever win the title, sitting down all fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders from Dowagiac, Edwardsburg and Marcellus.
Victoria won the separate fourth grade individual contest in 2006.
Summer Dohm of Cassopolis, in 1992-93, remains the bee's only two-time winner.
Cassopolis won last year behind eighth grader Elizabeth "Lizzy" Mays, who finished fifth in 2005 when Cassopolis sixth graders Trent Conn, Ryne Nickel and Brendan Westrick captured second, third and fourth, with Blake Terrill of Marcellus averting a sweep by taking the individual title.
As the spelldown constricted to a two-way battle with Cassopolis sixth grader Celia Ash, Victoria correctly spelled asphyxiated, aquiline and arcanum to clinch victory.
Victoria and Celia won $50 U.S. savings bonds.
Victoria also received a trophy.
Third, winning a travel version of Scrabble, was Brian Craft of Cassopolis. Brian finished second in 2006. He was tripped up by aggrandizement.
Fourth was Ryne Nickel of Cassopolis.
Fifth place went to Marcellus seventh grader Howie Holston.
Victoria, 11, said she has been practicing since December.
She is the daughter of Alissa and Duane Pearson. She is the youngest daughter among 11 children.
"I wanted to win again," the Sam Adams Middle School student said.
"I like to draw and I like spelling because I like to challenge people. I want to be a cosmetologist when I grow up. In my spare time I usually read or watch TV – or practice my spelling. I like to read not mysteries that much, but adventure books. My mom, my dad and my family help me" study word lists.
"I was nervous at first," she said, "but then I got used to it after a while" as the afternoon crowd of morning qualifiers thinned on the stage of the Dale A. Lyons Building auditorium.
Cassopolis captured team attention, too, with winning efforts in sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Cassopolis fifth graders spelled 41 words correctly, pulling away from Edwardsburg's 36, Dowagiac's 35 and Marcellus' 32.
Cassopolis also commanded sixth grade, compiling 41 to Edwardsburg's 34, Marcellus' 30 and Dowagiac's 27.
In seventh grade, Cassopolis edged Edwardsburg, 38-36, with Marcellus at 33 and Dowagiac at 25.
Dowagiac eighth graders finished second, but their 28 was no match for 42 by Cassopolis' Brian Craft (all 10 correct), Ryne Nickel, Brendan Westrick, Felicia Poore and John Simpson. Edwardsburg was third (24) and Marcellus came in fourth (22).
Dowagiac's second-place team consisted of Kyleigh Hatter, Tony Swisher, Courtney Klann, Frances Getz and Jacob Brom.
Marcellus' 2005 title snapped a four-year run by Dowagiac.
The top fourth grade speller was Alyssa Heminger of Edwardsburg, with Camille Ralston of Dowagiac's Kincheloe Elementary School second.
Edwardsburg's fourth grade team scored 44, trailed by Dowagiac with 42, Marcellus with 36 and Cassopolis with 26.
Brian Wood, Lewis Cass Intermediate School District director of instructional services, coordinates the event.