BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

LARNED — Macy Haas appears cool and comfortable while she spells even though she claims she’s always a little nervous.
Larned Middle School seventh-grader Haas won a head-to-head duel against Candice Peterson, a Larned Middle School eighth-grader to win Friday’s Pawnee County Spelling Bee.  
Haas spelled “trauma,” and “microcosm,” correctly to win her second Pawnee County title after also winning in 2012. Haas spelled three words correctly in the Sunflower State Spelling Bee at Barton County College in 2012. She went out on “minacious,” which means threatening.
Haas qualifies for the 2014 Sunflower Spelling Bee March 8 at Fort Hays State University.
Haas spelled “massage, “ geode” “synonym,” “pueblo,” “innate, and “fiery,” before she missed “isobar and “temporal.”
She rebounded to correctly spell “diagnosis,” before missing “ubiquitous.”
“Candice is a good speller. It was tough,” Macy said. “I had never heard of some of the words. But overall, the words appeared easier this time than two years ago.”
Spoken like a spelling veteran.
Macy is the daughter of Tammy and Charlie Haas and the granddaughter of John and Carolyn Haas and Ronald and Arlene Anderson.
Paul Deveaux, LMS seventh-grade language arts teacher, said Macy is a stellar student at Larned Middle School.
“Last year, she scored a 100 percent on the reading exam on the Kansas State Assessment test, which is rare,” he said.
Peterson was on fire as she correctly spelled “glitz,” “retrospective,” “curriculum,” “hazard,” “guitar,” and the challenge of “layette,” a complete outfit for a newborn infant.
But the words went up a level when two spellers were left.
Peterson missed “ambiguity,” “lariat,” “potash,” and “stipple,” which means apply paint by repeated small touches.    
Pawnee Heights seventh-grader Dalton Hamby missed “nether,” in the fourth round.
Lasting into the third round were Erika Wilder LMS 7 (cleanser); Cody Amspacker PH 5 (gardenia); Nate Bauer LMS 7 (igneous); and Trevor Coulson LMS 8 (stucco).
Deveaux directed and pronounced words for the Pawnee County Spelling Bee. He was assisted by judges Rebecca Krehbiel from LMS and LaRue Cooper from Pawnee Heights. Vicky Wallace assisted as LMS librarian.
Others participating representing Larned Middle School:
Fifth grade — Kadan Pontius, Christian Murray, Natalie Rouse, Warrick Baldwin.
Sixth grade — Ben Kelty, Kaylee Mead, Tristen Burger, Makayla Leiker.
Seventh grade — Nate Bauer, Corbin Steele.
Eighth grade — Chelsea Davis, Chloe Hitschmann-Madden.
Representing Pawnee Heights:
Fifth grade — Samuel Duncan.
Sixth grade — Jacelyn Salmans, Harrison Van Meter.
Seventh grade — Faith Johnson.
Eighth grade —  Regan Carlson, Nicole Roberts.