DOWAGIAC — F-L-E-A-B-A-N-E.

While most people think of the word fleabane to mean a flower in the daisy family, for one Dowagiac Middle School student, it means victory.

That is the word that won seventh-grader Abraham Guernsey a three-foot trophy as a reward for winning first place in the individual round of the Cass County Spelling Bee.

“The trophy is almost bigger than he is,” said Abraham’s father, Rich Guernsey. “I’m proud of him, and I know he is excited, too.”

Abraham, who had previously won the competition when he was in fourth grade, said he was happy to have won and competed in the competition, as spelling is something that he loves to do, despite science and computers being his favorite subjects to study. 

“It’s reassuring [to have won], because it means that I know the words. I know what they mean and I can spell,” he said. “It’s reassuring to know that I’m on the good side of spelling.”

According to Abraham, the win did not come easy, as he went several one-one-one spelling rounds with the runner-up as the last two competitors standing. Abraham believes that he went through “probably 20 or 30 words” before he was named the winner of the spelling bee.

“I was nervous, but over time, I realized these were words I knew and words I had studied,” Abraham said. “That made it easier.”

Knowing how to spell the words was no strike of luck for Abraham, as he, with the help of his father, studied for weeks to prepare for the spelling bee.

“We went through hundreds of words every day, and [Abraham] took a lot of initiative himself,” Rich said. “I always tell him, ‘anything you do, don’t do it halfway.’”

Abraham said that he is planning to study for and compete in the Cass County Spelling Bee again next year as an eighth-grade student, but that it will be his last year competing as there is not a high school spelling bee for him to take part in after that.

“I’m excited, but I’m also sad because it will be my last year,” he said. “I’m hoping [I win again].”

Rich said he hopes that once Abraham enters high school, he will find something like the spelling bee to fill his time, be it the debate team or Science Olympiad or something else.

“He’s really smart. He’s smarter than me,” Rich said of Abraham. “I’m sure he will find something else to be involved in.”