• Two additional SVMS students finished in the top 12 – Emmet Barnes placed 6th, and Elsje Boogaard finished 12th.

Calvin Parsons, an 8th grade student at Star Valley Middle School, placed fifth at the Wyoming State Spelling Bee in Rock Springs on Saturday, March 16. Parsons made it through a written exam before taking the stage with the top 27 finalists to complete two oral vocabulary rounds and eight more oral spelling rounds.

“It was pretty nerve-racking,” Calvin shared with SVI Media in an interview the day after the competition.  As he advanced in the competition, he realized how unique his situation was becoming. “I was one of the best spellers in Wyoming and it was getting pretty heated up there.”

Calvin is the oldest child of Charlotte and Kyle Parsons.  He has three younger brothers and loves to read. “I like Fiction and Historical Fiction.”  “Scythe,” a series of three books by Neal Shusterman, is his favorite series, and he’s enjoyed it so much that he has read it twice. He knows that reading has served an important role in developing his exceptional spelling abilities.

Teachers have also been a great help and have pushed him to develop his abilities to become a skilled speller. Mrs. Chris Christie at SVMS and Mrs. Courtney Hurst at Osmond Elementary School inspired him to work hard.

“The encouragement of parents and teachers and community members for kids to step outside their comfort zone and do something hard to push themselves is always good thing,” said Charlotte.  “Always read. You’re never too young or too old to read.”

LCSD No. 2 sent two other spellers to the State Bee who finished very close to Calvin. Emmett Barnes emerged in sixth place and Elsje Boogaard placed twelfth. Henry Ensign and Eli Jernigan from LCSD No. 1 in Kemmerer also qualified for competition in the oral rounds.