By Diana Whittle
He may not yet be Jeopardy-bound but Tommy LaPenna already has established himself as a worthy opponent on the spelling-bee circuit. The Kyrene Middle School 12-year-old recently earned top honors in the Maricopa County Region 1 competition against 36 other sixth- to eighth-graders from the east Valley. Tommy’s victory came after he correctly spelled the word “mandarin” in the champion-ship round. Now the quick thinking mini-orthographer advances to the Arizona State Spelling Bee on March 21 in Phoenix. Tommy previously earned top honors in a spelling bee as a fifth grader at Waggoner Elementary. “We are very proud that Tommy decided to participate and won, and that he will be representing Kyrene Middle School at the state level,” said his mother, Judy LaPenna. The recent spelling bee was hotly contested during eight rounds of competition, plus the additional one-word championship round, before Tommy was declared the winner. Participating in the spelling bees is an optional assignment for KMS students, who are given a list of 450 vocabulary words to study in their English classes. About 60 KMS students took up the challenge this year, but Tommy believes he had an extra edge when it came to preparation. “In addition to the vocabulary words given to me by my English teacher, I also (used) the on-line study guide of 1,155 words,” said Tommy. His mother says Tommy is enrolled in the college-prep curriculum at KMS and is an excellent student. In addition to his academics, he plays saxophone. Tommy says he likes all his classes in school—especially math and science— which pleases his mother, who was educated as a chemical engineer. “My mom helps me to study the vocabulary words and encourages me to participate in the spelling bees,” said Tommy. “I really like to read, as does everyone in my family, and I think the spelling bees have helped me to increase my vocabulary and writing skills.” Educators say that spelling bees can enhance a child’s growth in terms of life skills. Mastery of such an ability can teach youth discipline and competition, and is a great confidence-booster. And, while it does take practice and regular studying, says Tommy, it’s also fun.
