COORANBONG schoolgirl Ella Huber performed strongly at the Premier’s Spelling Bee state final in Sydney.
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Ella, 9, of Cooranbong Public School, made it through to Round 5 of the high-pressure event held recently at the ABC Centre, in Ultimo.
She was eliminated when she made a mistake in spelling the word typewriter.
Ella incorrectly put an ‘igh’ in her spelling.
“That’s what happens when you’re born in the 21st century,” Ella’s proud mum, Melanie, said.
The year 4 student was the first child called to the stage to spell.
ABC Radio host Wendy Harmer read the words for the children to spell.
After a practice round, the students progressed through four rounds of competition featuring words the students could access from a list prior to the final.
At that point, Premier Gladys Berejiklian arrived at the venue and the competition was put on hold for a few moments.
When the competition resumed in Round 5, students were then asked to spell words that were not on the list.
Nine-year-old Glenmore Park Public School student, Emilia McCarthy, won the junior division for students in years 3 and 4.
McCallum Kho, a year 6 student from Ryde Public School, took the senior prize for students in years 5 and 6.
Ms Huber said Ella enjoyed competing at the state final.
“She absolutely loved it,” Ms Huber said.
“She got into the newspaper (Lakes Mail) and the school newsletter, and there was a message for her on the school noticeboard.
“She was getting lots of attention, and she handled it really well.”
Having mixed it with the best spellers for their age in NSW, Ella is planning to enter the competition again next year, this time in the senior division.
“She was a bit disappointed that she didn’t make it through further in the final, but she’s looking forward to competing with her sister Laura in the senior division next year,” Ms Huber said.
Ms Huber said Ella’s father, Aaron, treated Ella to a fun day in the city after the spelling bee. A visit to the top of Sydney Tower was a highlight.
