Courtesy KEITH ISBELL
For the fourth time in the last five years, a Haiduk has been crowned the Broken Arrow Public Schools District Spelling Bee champion. But unlike in previous years, the 2008 spelling champion Haiduk is not Bruce.
Bruce’s younger brother Brian of Centennial Middle School ascended to the spelling bee throne by edging Haskell Middle School’s Laymon Barnett for first place in the bee held at Central on Main for each elementary and middle school site champion speller.
“I have been in many spelling bees (because of my brother), and I think that did help some today,” Brian says.
Brian handled such words as cylindrical and baronet with ease to win the title that his family is very familiar with, having seen older brother Bruce advance all the way to the national spelling bee in 2007.
When asked if the district spelling bee was fun or nerve-wracking, Brian answers “both.”
In addition to Haiduk and Barnett, other students who participated in the event included: Trevor Vasquez (Arrow Springs), Ian Pellersels (Arrowhead), Peyton Gann (Childers), Jacob Downes (Country Lane), Raina Romero (Indian Springs), Zarria Young (Leisure Park), Hannah Abert (Liberty), Jacob Bible (Lynn Wood), Jacob Carter (Oak Crest), Aimee Sawyer (Oliver), Michelle Lindhorst (Park Lane), Austin Gilmore (Rhoades), Wyatt Thurman (Sequoyah), Victoria Johnson (Spring Creek), Samantha Watson (Vandever), Chris Royal (Westwood) and Wesley Dale (Wolf Creek).
