JEMS student advances to televised spelling bee on Feb. 29

Seren Gardiner, a seventh grade student at Jordan-Elbridge Middle School, is one of 35 students from Central New York slated to compete in a televised spelling bee on WCNY on Feb. 29.

Gardiner took first place for the second consecutive year at the annual JE Spelling Bee in December and automatically advanced to a regional written spelling bee at Christian Brothers Academy. Because she was one of 35 finalists there, she will now compete on television.

There was not a list of words to study for the written spelling bee, so Gardiner studied from a book her mother gave her. That also coincided with her love of spelling and words.

“It just feels really good. I worked so hard to get where I am,” she said.

Gardiner said she feels excited and nervous, and looks forward the event.

“I’m going up against people that scored the same or higher than me, and I’m excited about the fact I get to be on T.V.,” she added.

The spelling bee at the middle school featured 18 students who qualified after scoring high on a written spelling test given in his/her classrooms. Gardiner won by spelling the word “Seniority.”