A poet might think it fitting that a champion of a spelling bee would win with the word “approbation,” which means approval or praise.
Appropriately, Steve Lange, a 61-year-old pastor from Orland Park, received heaps of approbation after he won the 39th Annual Orland Park Open Spelling Bee on Sunday at the Presbyterian Church of Orland Park.
The win is a first for Lange, who is pastor of the Living Word Church in Orland Park and has competed in the long-running event in years past. His talent for spelling dates back to his younger days.
“My parents were both English teachers, and they were both hot on grammar. I kind of stunk at grammar, but I was better at spelling,” he said.
The bee, which is co-hosted by the Village of Orland Park, brings together the young and the not-as-young in spelling competition. Village officials serve as contest judges. This year, trustees Kathy Fenton and Carole Griffin Ruzich volunteered to be judges.
Winners are based on age groups, with 12 trophies and 23 medals given out.
Enzo Restivo, a 10-year-old from Palos Heights, won among the youngest contestants, in the 8- to 10-year-old age range. This was Restivo’s second spelling bee win.
The competition starts with the youngest children and words that are easiest to spell. After several rounds with increasingly tougher words, older children and adults join the competition. James Tan, 13, of Orland Park, was the victor for his age category, which includes student from local middle and high schools.
The eighth-grader from Palos South Middle School has competed in bees since the fifth grade. He said he enjoys the competition.
“I guess I like to go because I’m good at spelling,” James said.
The spirit of the competition was inspired decades ago from “Little House on the Prairie,” said the bee’s longtime spellmaster, William Smith. It originated in Oak Lawn during the village’s bicentennial. Now, dozens of residents throughout the area participate in the competition.
“And it’s been working ever since,” Smith said. More than 100 bees have been held in all that time.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.