At 14, eighth-grader Candace Silva already has a bragging accomplishment few can claim: She is the Newton-Conover City Schools district spelling bee champ three years in a row.
On Monday, she heads to the regional spelling bee in Charlotte, where she has competed the past two years.
"I was fourth last year and eighth the year before," Silva said.
She hopes her chances for winning are good this year, since she has experience.
"I will be one of the older people, and I studied more than last year," Silva said. "I didn't just study the (Merriam-Webster's) Spell It! list. I've done games on the Web site, too."
She said she studied a few days a week, and had her mom practice with her, since she's also a good speller.
Although Silva said she hopes to win, she said there's a bigger expectation for her to do well this year.
"I'm nervous. I feel more pressure," Silva said, adding that part of it is because this is her third time going.
On Friday, the Newton-Conover Middle School student got a royal send-off from everyone at the school. Some of her friends made a paper cone filled with flowers, and she donned a purple crown fit for a princess.
The students lined the halls with signs of encouragement and words of praise. They yelled her name and clapped their hands. They chanted "Go Can-dace, Go Can-dace."
"I'm really happy for her," said her friend, Abby Glosson, 14. "I think she'll do it this time."
Angela Soto, 13, has been friends with Silva since kindergarten. Soto said she's been trying to bol-ster Silva's confidence for this regional spelling bee.
"I've been telling her she's going to win," Soto said. "She's been saying she's nervous, but I think she's more confident this time. I'm very happy for her."
Silva said she planned to study some this weekend, but also relax before the big bee.
"The night before, I'm going to go over some words and check some things," she said.
The hardest word Silva said she's learned so far is muishond — a southern African weasel. Silva said if she hears a word she doesn't know, she'll ask for everything she can for help, such as the part of speech or using it in a sentence.
Silva said she was happy the school showed so much support in the send-off they gave her.
"It feels good they care about me," she said.
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