April 28, 2025
Local News | Bureau County Republican
Local News

PCA student wins County Spelling Bee

By Donna Barker
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Princeton Christian Academy seventh-grader Sophia Brandenburg (left) and Dalzell Grade School eighth-grader Reilly Leonatti (right) pose with their winning trophies after Wednesday's Bureau County Spelling Bee in Princeton. After nine rounds of competition, Sophia won the spelling bee, with Reilly coming in as first runner-up. Twenty-four junior high students from around the county competed in the annual spelling bee. See www.bcrnews.com for a slide show of all the participants. (BCR photo)

PRINCETON — Sophia Brandenburg and Reilly Leonatti battled their way through nine rounds of competition before Sophia correctly spelled the word "cosmetic" and won the 2012 Bureau County Spelling Bee.

Sophia, 12, is a seventh-grader at Princeton Christian Academy, and Reilly, 14, is an eighth-grader at Dalzell Grade School. For the last four rounds, the girls stood alone in the competition. In the eighth round, Sophia correctly spelled the word "humble," but Reilly left out a "c" in the word "access." With Sophia's correct spelling of "cosmetic," the spelling bee was completed, and a new champion was announced.

Sophia and Reilly were among 24 Bureau County junior high students competing in Wednesday's annual spelling bee sponsored by the Bureau/Henry/Stark Regional Office of Education and the Peoria Journal Star. Among the more than 50 words given to Wednesday's spellers were tentativeness, philosophize, carnage, fluoride, jambalaya, circumlocution, mezzanine and cellophane.

As the 2012 champion, Sophia received a trophy and certificate, as well as a traveling trophy for her school. She will also represent Bureau County at the March 16 regional spelling bee in Peoria.

When asked about her win after Wednesday's bee, Sophia said spelling is something that's comes fairly easily for her. In second grade, she won her class spelling bee and then competed at a larger bee in Rockford, where she placed fifth.

To get ready for Wednesday's bee, Sophia said she studied during the weekend with her mom, Michelle Brandenburg of Peru, from a list Sophia had gotten on Friday at school. Some of Wednesday's words were not on her school list. Those words she knew from past spelling bees.

As far as not getting too nervous before Wednesday's competition, Sophia said she just didn't think about winning but tried to keep a good spirit and positive thoughts about the whole thing. She also prayed to God that she'd do her best and if it was His will, she would win. If not, that would be fine, too, she said.

Reilly, first-runner-up, said she competed in last year's spelling bee as a seventh-grader but didn't do that well. But being in last year's competition did help her know what to expect and to not get too nervous, she said. Like Sophia, Reilly said she prepared for Wednesday's bee by studying school lists and trying to remember words which she already had learned.

Also competing in Wednesday's bee, were Josie Lind and Katelynn Aukes, representing Bureau Valley; Jordan Burgin and Hunter Galassi, Cherry Grade; Claudia Englehaupt, Dalzell; Jonathan Gallardo and Alejandro Villalobos, representing DePue Grade; Michael Manning and Kiernan Robinson, of Ladd Grade; Dalton DeVenney and Brenna Rieker, LaMoille Grade; Jacob Bickett and Jazzmine Owens, Malden Grade; Tori Crofton and Kayla Folger, representing Neponset Grade; Johnathon Schulte and Jacob Tudor, Ohio Grade; Doran Cotter and Jack Bays, Logan Junior High in Princeton; Kimberly Glenn, Princeton Christian Academy; and Cassie Shuper and Luciana Mautino, John F. Kennedy School in Spring Valley.

Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.

[ See video of all participants ]