Custer Baker Intermediate School sixth grader Emberley Martin won first place at the 2023 Johnson County Spelling Bee April 18 at Creekside Elementary School.
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She’s not old enough to have a mortgage, but the word clinched her the first Johnson County Spelling Bee title since 2019.
Custer Baker Intermediate School sixth-grader Emberley Martin correctly spelled out m-o-r-t-g-a-g-e to end an intense final round battle between herself and Maple Grove Elementary School fourth-grader Gus Rodriguez on April 18 at Creekside Elementary School in Franklin.
During the final round, both contestants had a chance to win the bee. Martin misspelled “colleague” in the final round and Rodriguez spelled it correctly, giving him the chance to win with the word “chauffeur.” A misstep on the word gave the opportunity back to Martin, who was able to spell the “chauffeur” correctly along with “mortgage” to claim the crown.
Martin said she prepared for the competition by studying a list of words provided to contestants and highlighting words she wasn’t sure about. She would then study those words again until she had a better understanding of them.
Martin qualified for the contest by passing a multiple-choice spelling test to make the cut for her school’s competition. She then won the Custer Baker Spelling Bee on March 22, outlasting about 20 of her peers to qualify for the Johnson County Spelling Bee, Martin said.
Martin was runner-up in the Union Elementary School Spelling Bee in third grade and finished fifth in the school contest in fourth grade. Custer Baker didn’t have a school competition when Martin was in fifth grade, and with the sixth grade being her last chance to compete, she had extra motivation, she said.
“The previous years I had not tried as hard as I thought I could,” Martin said. “It’s a lot different than other competitions like sports or math bowl. You’re one person going against your school, but afterward, you go against everyone else who won in the county.”
At the county competition as the only sixth grader who qualified, Martin took on 13 other students in third through fifth grade who had won their schools’ spelling bees. Rodriguez, Sugar Grove Elementary School fifth grader Amy Woodard, Union Elementary School fourth grader Susan Cummings and Pleasant Grove Elementary School fifth grader Paxton Baker all finished in the top five, said Union Elementary School Principal Katie Smith, who helped run the competition.
Johnson County Community Foundation Vice President of Development Kim Kasting, Franklin Community School Corporation Superintendent David Clendening, Indian Creek Assistant Superintendent Andrea Perry and Johnson Memorial Health CEO David Dunkle served as judges, while Custer Baker Intermediate School Principal Cheryl Moran was the word caller.
Martin is the first winner since Lilly Allen won in 2019 when she was a fifth grader at Greenwood’s Isom Elementary School. With sponsorship from the Johnson County Community Foundation, which helped pay for trophies, ribbons and advertising for the event, the bee returned after a COVID pause.
Martin said she’s proud of her achievement and of her fellow competitors for making it to the Johnson County Spelling Bee.
“I was really happy. I got to see a lot of people I’ve known over the years,” Martin said. “The end was kind of risky because I misspelled a word. I think it’s really (about) the sportsmanship. It’s good to win and be successful, but just to get to the county (bee), for the third, fourth and fifth graders, it’s cool they got it. It’s just being humble about it and being proud of all of them who made it.”
