By Marisa Dawson, Photos courtesy of Esther Komeng
Rayna Komeng, a student at Bennington South Middle School, captured first place at the Douglas County Spelling Bee held last weekend at Brownell Talbot College Preparatory School.
The victory qualifies Rayna to advance to the Regional Spelling Bee in March, where she will compete against top spellers from the area for a chance to move forward in the Spelling Bee program.
Rayna was among a group of talented participants from Bennington-area schools who competed in the county event. Other Bennington participants included:
– Khyathi Sharma and Wren Thomeczek from Anchor Pointe Elementary
– Ava Gunderson and Dominic Johnson from Bennington Elementary
– Adrian Daehler and Ei Swe from Heritage Elementary
– Niel Komeng from Pine Creek Elementary
– Della Henney and Aaron Staroscik from Stratford Elementary
– Payton Combes from Bennington Middle School
– Paxton Grimes and Rayna Komeng from Bennington South Middle School
(Note: Kohen Powers and Reese Markt were unable to attend county competition.)
Rayna described the moment of victory as surreal. “I couldn’t really believe honestly,” she said. “I was thinking I would get top 5 from my experience last year.” One of the toughest challenges came from the word “precocious,” which she believes stood out as difficult due to how it was pronounced.
Preparation began almost immediately after her school-level win. “We started practicing my words 2 days after I won the school spelling bee, usually in the evening,” Rayna explained, crediting her dad as a constant source of support throughout the preparation process. Her approach to difficult words relies on breaking them into parts, and she credits a personal technique: “I also have the power to keep track so when I get lost in spelling, I can keep going.”
For younger students hoping to follow in her footsteps, Rayna offered simple but effective advice: “Read a lot of books because that helps a lot, and just take your time spelling the words.”
Rayna’s mother, Esther Komeng, watched with pride as her daughter claimed the title, though she views the win as an important milestone rather than the finish line. “Proud of her but this is just a stepping stone,” Esther said. “She needs to work harder to get to DC.”
She pointed to Rayna’s impressive ability to balance a busy schedule, including schoolwork, Marimba, Band, Jazz, Girl Scouts, and still master a large volume of spelling words. “She’s a great example to emulate,” Esther noted. “Hard work surely pays.”
Next on the horizon is the state competition. “Hoping she can win that one as well,” Esther said. What stands out most to her as a parent is Rayna’s self-motivation. “Her willingness to keep going,” Esther explained. “You can’t learn this many words if someone is asking you to. You need to aim higher personally.”
Congratulations to Rayna and all the competitors for their dedication and hard work. Best of luck as she prepares for the regional competition!
