Three ways to spell 'chifforobe'
Ashlyn Craigie, am eighth-grader from Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy, placed fourth in the virtual Scripps At-Large Region Two Spelling Bee on March 27. She was the only student in Idaho who participated and competed against 19 students from New Jersey, California, Texas, Washington and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Courtesy photo
COEUR d’ALENE — Despite the absence of the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee this spring, a Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy student persevered to showcase her spelling prowess on a national level.
Eighth-grader Ashlyn Craigie placed fourth in the virtual Scripps At-Large Region Two Spelling Bee, held March 27. She was the only student from Idaho who competed.
Ashlyn sparred with 19 other talented spellers from New Jersey, California, Texas, Washington and the U.S. Virgin Islands for three and-a-half hours. She was finally bested in the 11th round by a word given to a closet-like piece of furniture that combines a long space for hanging clothes: "chifforobe."
"I knew there were three ways to spell it," a good-spirited Ashlyn said Wednesday.
Ashlyn had encountered the word "chifferobe" while reading “The Picture of Dorian Gray" in school. It can also be spelled "chiffarobe." However, the unabridged Merriam Webster Dictionary doesn’t provide for an alternate spelling of that word, so she was eliminated.
"When I see it I'll be like, 'That’s the word I missed!" she said.
Ashlyn has participated in spelling bees since a young age, winning the district bee in third grade and advancing to the regional bee in fifth through seventh grades.
“I really like to read, just improving my vocabulary,” she said.
When she discovered the Scripps At-Large Region Two Spelling Bee, she wanted to continue her stellar spelling tradition. Her dad, Todd Craigie, served as her coach. They studied for hours every day.
"I’m pretty competitive," she said. "I thought it would be a fun thing to do."
Her mom, Linda, said she's incredibly proud of her daughter.
"She just has the willpower. They’d go on late at night. She's just got the motivation to do it," Linda said. "The No. 1 thing is, she loves reading and spelling. It’s just more motivation for her."
Ashlyn said she thanks "my awesome parents (especially my dad), my teacher Lynda Ehrsam from my elementary school Ramsey, and Dr. Mike Nelson for providing me with this opportunity even though the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee was discontinued this year."
"They provided support for me and encouraged me to aim high," she said.