Casey Park's Campanello to compete in regional spelling bee
“I’m very excited to compete and be able to see how well I can do,” Campanello said before the competition. “I was very excited, because I had also won last year. I was really excited to be able to have another opportunity and be able to do the best that I could do.”
“She is an amazing, inspiring student,” said Shannon DelloStritto, Camapanello’s teacher. “I’m very much thrilled about how she takes the initiative for her own learning. She definitely tries to do her best, and she's an excellent role model for others.”
The Bee will be held March 21 at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Campanello will compete against 24 other students from schools across the region.
Getting to the regionals wasn’t easy, Campanello was the lone Auburn student to make it. After winning Casey Park’s Bee last December, Campanello took the online test that determines who qualifies.
“I thought I did really well, she said. “When I realized I got a 29 out of 30 on the test, I was really excited because it's an amazing opportunity to be able to go.”
There is a Bee app that helps the students prepare, and Campanello took advantage of it. Campanello, the daughter of Mario and Jessica Campanello, also spent a lot of time at home getting ready.
“I have the app on my phone, and every chance that I have, I study,” she said. “At school, I'm going through the list (of words) and just reading them in my head. My mom's helping me and I'm trying to study really hard.”
“She puts in such a big effort into it; she studies every day,” DelloStritto said. “When she's on her downtime, she takes time to go through and practice her words, so she's diligent, making sure she's got all that in order for her to be successful.”
Campanello said her love of reading has helped her become a better speller. She’s read books that include “The Outsiders”, “Star Girl,” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”
No matter how she finishes, Campanello is proud to represent Casey Park Elementary, which supports her.
“It’s a great opportunity to be representing my school, because it's my last year here,” she said, “so it's good to know that I did something while I was in elementary school. They (her classmates) said they’re really excited for me, and said, good luck.”
DelloStritto and Casey Park Principal Brianne Batis each expressed their support for Campanello.
“Besides her being wonderful and a good inspiration to others, she takes a lot of pride in her work, and I'm very proud of her,” DelloStritto said.
“She's been studying hard,” Batis said. “She works very, very hard, so I can't wait to see what she places in the regionals. I'm so proud of her.”
– Christopher Sciria / AECSD Public Information Specialist
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