I-N-D-U-L-G-E-N-T
Indulgent, spelled by Taylor Jennings, was the word that won the 2015 Vicksburg Warren School District Spelling Bee.
The spelling bee was held at Bowmar Elementary School Thursday, Feb. 5, at 9 a.m.
Jennings, a sixth-grader at South Park Elementary School, said she was very happy to win and that her practice had paid off.
“I wrote my words five times each and their definitions,” she said. “I learned my parts of speech and I broke the words down and looked at their origins.”
Jennings said her parents, Rufus and Tiffany Jennings, helped her prepare, and the first thing she did after winning was call her mother and tell her she won.
“She’s very happy,” she said.
This year’s competition featured a twist, alternating spelling and vocabulary rounds, which Jennings said made the competition even more difficult.
Though Jennings was crowned victorious, her journey is not over yet.
“I’m excited for the state competition,” she said. “I’m going to work even harder this time.”
Jennings’ father, Rufus, said he was proud of her.
“I wasn’t nervous,” he said. “It was in the hands of the Lord Jesus.”
Rufus said they spent a lot of time practicing.
“We practiced every day at home,” he said. “We’re going to stick to the same regimen to prepare for the state competition.”
Sherry Garmon, the district coordinator of the spelling bee, said all of Thursday’s contestants were winners.
“They had their individual school bees and then the champion from each individual school participated in the district bee,” she said.
All of the contestants did a great job, Garmon said.
“It’s nerve-wracking to get up here and spell in front of everyone,” she said.
Garmon said Jennings would be competing again March 17 at 10 a.m. at the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Station.
“I wish her all the best,” she said. I would love to see a Vicksburg-native win the state bee.”
Other participants of the Warren County Spelling Bee were: first runner-up, Jordan Townes of Warren Central Intermediate; second runner-up, Joey Greer of Redwood Elementary; Ellis Terrett of Beechwood Elementary; Natalie Edwards of Bovina Elementary; Ashley Gatchell of Bowmar Elementary; Caitlin Doyle of Scholastic Academy; Giselle Portillo of Vicksburg Intermediate School; Angel Harmon of Vicksburg Junior High School; Emily Bishop of Warren Central Junior High School; and Quinton Powell of Warrenton Elementary School.