Jason Arndt, jarndt@shawanoleader.com
Karelyn Malliet
Contributed Photo Karelyn Malliet checks out “The Awakening,” a piece of art near the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, where she competed last month in the National Spelling Bee, in National Harbor, Maryland. She and her parents also visited several monuments and historical landmarks in Washington, D.C., during the trip.
Seventh-grader Karelyn Malliet was just one point shy of advancing to the semifinals in the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee last month, and she is already planning to do better next year.
The Shawano Community Middle School student said her experience May 28-29 in National Harbor, Maryland, was “definitely” encouraging.
Craig Ferch, the school’s psychologist and spelling bee coordinator, believes Malliet will continue to work hard.
“We certainly have a chance next year,” Ferch said.
Malliet, who has won the district bee for three straight years, won the Badger State Spelling Bee in March, defeating 47 contestants to capture the state title. She finished 11th at the state contest in 2013.
After skating through the first two preliminary rounds of the national bee with correct spellings of “graupel” and “rhabdomancy” at the microphone, Malliet learned she had scored 27 points, one point away from joining the 46 semifinalists.
The score included the points accumulated from a written test taken by all 281 participants in round one of the bee. It included half spelling and half vocabulary.
Malliet, who changed her mind on two words during the computerized exam, admitted second-guessing caused her to fall short in the vocabulary portion.
“Then I realized I had everything right (the first time) and was like ‘Come on,’ ” she said.
Malliet said the bee and trip to Washington, D.C., were positive experiences. She toured historical landmarks such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial with her parents, Wayne and Susan.
“The spelling bee was an awesome experience,” Malliet said. “I thought it was really cool.”
Susan Malliet said the trip gave her daughter the opportunity to experience new things and meet new people.
“We had a good time and it just flew by,” she said. “There were a lot of kids she met around the country and even the world.”
Based on the alphabetical order of states, Malliet was assigned number 276 of the 281 competitors and connected with a contestant from Wyoming (277), Victoria Allen. They plan to stay in touch via e-mail during the summer.