Portland spelling bee champ back to defend title
Home-schooler Connor Aberle takes the stage Saturday at regional contest
Connor Aberle received his prize in the 2009 Regional Spelling Bee from Rebecca Brown of Comcast. Aberle won by correctly spelling “Olivaceous” and “Erythromycin.”
Tribune file photo
Local spelling bee champ Connor Aberle will fight to defend his title on Saturday at the eighth annual Portland Tribune/Comcast Regional Spelling Bee.
After winning the regional contest last year, Connor – who represents the Village Home Education Center – advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee last May.
He made it to the semifinals and has been training to do no less than win at the national level this year, which is his last year of eligibility since he’s 14, according to his mother, Shelley.
“He’s been studying spelling about three hours a day ever since he finished nationals last year,” Shelley Aberle says. “He’s learned an incredible amount, and is so much better prepared now than he was last year at the same time.”
Some of his tricks beyond the standard word lists: he’s been studying language families and tricky word patterns, and has also competed in some of the weekly kids’ and adult spelling bees at Mississippi Pizza, to practice his crowd presence.
Connor won’t take anything for granted at the regional bee, his mother says. He’ll wear his lucky “bee” shirt – the yellow- and black-striped rugby shirt he wore for both the regional and national contests last year.
Connor is one of 44 third- through eighth-grade participants in this Saturday’s bee. Only eight of the spellers attend Portland Public Schools; the others hail from public schools throughout the metro area as well as from private, alternative and homeschool groups.
The eight PPS schools participating include: Access Academy, da Vinci Arts Middle School, Mt. Tabor Middle School, Roseway Heights Elementary, Sellwood Middle School, Tubman Academy for Young Women, West Sylvan Middle School and Winterhaven Elementary.
The pronouncer for the regional bee is Dave Miller, one of the hosts for OPB Radio’s “Think Out Loud.” Judges include PPS teacher Julianne Winder; retired teacher Sharyn Schneiderman; Jose Ayala of the United Way; and Margaret Seiler, a former copy editor for the Tribune.
The bee, presented by OnPoint Community Credit Union, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd.
Admission is free and open to the public, however donations of school supplies are encouraged to help support the nonprofit Schoolhouse Supplies.
jenniferanderson@portlandtribune.com