VW girl headed to National Spelling Bee

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

FORT WAYNE, Indiana — It hasn’t happened often. In fact, it may not have happened ever before, but this year a Van Wert girl is headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Lincolnview sixth-grader Una VanWynsberghe, 12, won the 62nd annual Journal Gazette Regional Spelling Bee in Fort Wayne on Saturday.

VanWynsberghe, the daughter of Dewey and Rachel VanWynsberghe of Van Wert, prevailed over 15 other contestants to win the spelling bee in 14 rounds and a chance to represent northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana in Washington during the national spelling bee on May 24-26.

The Lincolnview sixth-grader correctly spelled the word “penultimate” after Jared White of Wells County, Indiana, misspelled “ascertain”. White is the runner-up and would represent the area if VanWynsberghe can’t go for some reason.

For her win, Una earned the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, a one-year membership to Britannica Online Premium, and a Microsoft Surface 3 tablet with keyboard and stylus — as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for and her mother.

Una earned a trip to Fort Wayne for the regional spelling bee with a victory in the Van Wert County Spelling Bee held February 1 in the Marsh Foundation Auditorium. She won the local spelling bee by correctly spelling the word “mirage” after runner-up Grace Doctor tripped over the word “gregarious.”

As for the national spelling bee, Una said she plans to study hard, but also to enjoy the experience. “No matter how it turns out, I will do my very best and I considerate it a learning experience,” she said.