Matthew Plunk Ties for 5th Place in the GISA State Spelling Bee! 

Matthew was thrilled with all of the support and encouragement he received from his Lionheart family!  He competed in the state bee last Friday.  Forty-two students from across Georgia represented their private schools in this bee (there were students from Lovette, Wesleyan, Great Altanta, Holy Innocents... as well as students from Columbus, Savannah and Augusta).  After the first round (a written round of 110 words), over half were eliminated.  The top twenty spellers were called out to then compete in the oral round that afternoon.  The names were called out in random order, and Matthew's was the LAST one called!  When asked how he felt during that waiting, he said, "I kept saying in my head, 'please let it be me, please let it be me - I'll be flexible if it's not - but PLEASE let it be me'"  His patience - and superior spelling - paid off, and he advanced to the next round.  In the oral competition, he outlasted 12 out of the 20 spellers, and went out in the same round as 4 others.  His word was 'filasse' - French by way of Latin.  He gave it a great shot, but was incorrect.  He bowed out graciously but admitted that he was disappointed.  Overall, it was an incredible experience, and he can't wait to try again next year.