Highlands 7th-grader beats schoolmate in bee

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Jade Licudine and Christian Tomas battled each other for 14 rounds before Jade correctly spelled "flotsam" to capture The Honolulu Advertiser 2004 Leeward District Spelling Bee last night at Kapolei Middle School.

Jade, 12, is a seventh-grader at Highlands Intermediate. Her parents are Jocelyn and Danilo.

Christian, 14, also is a student at Highlands, where he is in the eighth grade. He is the son of Wilma Lactaoen.

The two schoolmates beat 15 other spellers and are headed to the State Spelling Bee March 14 at Windward Community College to face district champions from Honolulu, Windward and Central O'ahu, and Maui, Kaua'i and Hawai'i. The contest will be televised at 5 p.m. on K5.

The state champion advances to the 77th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, May 26 to 28 in Washington, D.C.

Supporting sponsors for this year's state competition are Aloha Airlines, Island Heritage, Comp USA, and Island Plantations and Island Bath & Body, divisions of The Madden Corp.

The 14 district winners will receive gifts from Sears, The Madden Corp., Consolidated Theatres, Anderson News Co. and Scripps National Spelling Bee. Travel for Neighbor Island participants will be provided by Aloha Airlines.

The State Spelling Bee champion also wins an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national bee; a Webster's Third New International Dictionary; a $200 Sears merchandise certificate; a $100 U.S. savings bond from Jay Sugarman; a PDA handheld computer from Radio Shack; and more.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8025.