Sisters are top two spellers

Ten rounds of competition among the best spellers in Charleston County on Friday night came down to an unlikely pair of finalists -- sisters.

Sanders-Clyde Elementary eighth-grader Kalyn Lewis edged out her younger sister, Amy, for the title of district spelling champion after correctly spelling "hibachi," which her sixth-grade sister misspelled, and "canine."

"I feel so great," the soft-spoken Kalyn said afterward. "This is the first trophy I ever won."

The girls' friends, teachers and principal surrounded them with hugs and tears. Their spelling coach, Latrea Hutchinson, described the pair as humble, determined young ladies who will achieve greatness. They've been practicing after school since September, and when they arrived at the bee a few minutes early, they wanted to know whether they could use the extra time to study a little more.

"They love to learn," said Hutchinson, a Sanders-Clyde teacher. "They have a desire to learn. Despite everything, they persevere. They put all they had inside of it, and they came out successful."

School Principal Melvin Middleton said he wasn't surprised to see the quiet duo as the final two standing. It's a testament to the hard work they invested in preparing for the bee, he said.

"You can see the people taking in every moment," he said of the crowd who came to support the sisters.

Fans of the Lewises savored the victory, taking pictures and congratulating them repeatedly.

Kalyn barely cracked a smile and meekly accepted the celebratory praise.

Thirty-nine fifth- through eighth-graders and their parents, principals and pals packed the district's downtown office for the Friday night bee. After a practice round of spelling words such as "dog," "cat" and "book," the real competition began.

It took just four rounds to narrow the field to four spellers and only a couple of more until it was three.

The trio took turns breezing through words such as "primal," "begonia" and "cosmetic," but "dungaree" stumped the third-place finisher and knocked her out the competition. It took less than a dozen words, along with a few misspellings, for Kalyn to claim the crown.

The top 18 spellers from Charleston will compete in Spellbound!, a regional spelling bee sponsored by The Post and Courier.

The event includes the best spellers from Berkeley and Dorchester County schools as well as private and home school students.

It will be held at 7 p.m. March 11 in the Lightsey Chapel at Charleston Southern University. The Spellbound! winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.