Community Corner
Whiz Kid: Isabella Jaffery
Sixth-grader Isabella Jaffery wins the Roxboro Middle School Spelling Bee
Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Isabella Jaffery
- Sixth-grader at
- Won the school's spelling bee
- Studied words for a month
Isabella Jaffery, a sixth-grader at Roxboro Middle School, won the school’s spelling bee last week. Isabella faced off against 21 other Roxboro students, powered through 11 rounds of competition and won by spelling “espionage” correctly.
For Isabella, 12, it was the culmination of a long-held dream.
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“I’ve always wanted ,” Isabella said. “I asked my teacher in fourth grade if as a special, end-of-year treat, we could have a spelling bee. She said no, but I finally got to be in one. I’m so happy.”
To get ready for the bee, Isabella attended after-school study sessions for a month and worked through a 650-word study guide with her dad.
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“At one point, I cried,” Isabella remembered. “But, I just kept doing them. I really like words. I like using words that not a lot of people know and spelling is like an extension of that. I always feel nice when I know how to spell something.”
What was the hardest word to spell during her study sessions?
“Mischievous,” Isabella said. “I can’t spell that.”
“Luckily there was espionage,” she added with a smile. “I can spell that.”
Do you know a Whiz Kid? Send your nominations to Cleveland Heights Patch editor Michelle.Simakis@patch.com