There was nervous tension in the room, but also a sense of excitement.

Twenty two children from 7 to 13 sat in three tidy rows of seats waiting to be called to the microphone.

They each had their eyes on the three trophies --1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place -- that sat sparkling in the late day sunlight on a table in front of them.

	Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette Parris thinks about the spelling of a word Monday during Auberle Home's first spelling bee. (Auberle's confidentiality policy prevents publication of residents' last names.) Residents from ages 7 to 13 participated in the bee. Click photo for larger image.

It was the first annual spelling bee at the Auberle Home in McKeesport and because the children had studied so hard in recent weeks, the bee lasted for two hours and through 11 rounds before the winners were found.

The Auberle Home houses children who are juvenile offenders or those who have been removed from their families because of abuse or abandonment.

Like their counterparts who participated last week in the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., the Auberle spellers took their time at the microphone, sounding out the words and even sometimes writing them down before spelling them aloud. They were permitted to use a pencil and paper on an easel to write out the words before spelling them for the judges.

The Auberle bee started with a "butterfly round" -- a round that didn't really count but was used to get the butterflies out of contestants' stomachs.

Then each child was given two passes -- one called a "second chance" pass that allowed them to remain for another round and one called a "different word" pass that allowed them to ask for another word if they couldn't spell the one they were given. Each pass could be used only once.

In the beginning of the Auberle competition, the spellers were given two minutes to come up with their answer. But in later rounds, the pressure mounted as that time was gradually reduced to 30 seconds.

There were high fives and punches into the air when contestants spelled their words correctly. But heads hung low and feet shuffled slowly when a child was told his or her spelling was incorrect. All the students appeared to have their hearts and heads into the competition.

The number of correct spellings and the length of the bee surprised the staff and the volunteers who tutored the students.

"We were so pleased," said Lauri Fink, director of development at Auberle. "This really complemented what we do here. We really focus on academics. The kids, when they come to us, are so chronically delinquent that they often don't know what grade they are in. Yet after they work for a while here, they are on the honor roll."

The bee was the brainchild of Auberle volunteer Marcelline Cendroski, of Liberty. She got the idea from South Allegheny Middle School teacher Laura Thomson, who held the first-ever spelling bee at her school in November.

Mrs. Cendroski, who is a volunteer tutor for the junior program at Auberle -- which includes children ages 7-13 -- was assisted in her effort by three other volunteer tutors, Toni Bucci, of Monessen, Carol School, of Elizabeth Township, and Judy Kinlough, of White Oak. Mrs. Bucci served as the announcer and moderator and got the tough task of telling contestants when their answers were incorrect.

The students prepared for the bee for weeks by studying word lists, by using flash cards and working crossword puzzles, Mrs. Cendroski said.

In the end, there were four winners who received prizes -- the top three got trophies and a Wal-Mart gift card. Fourth place prize was a Wal-Mart gift card that was donated at the last minute by Miss Thomson, who attended the bee.

In first place was sixth-grader Amado, 13, and in second place was seventh-grader Zach, 14. Third place went to Javon, 12, who is in fifth grade, and fourth place was awarded to Alex, 14, who is in seventh grade.

Auberle's confidentiality restrictions prohibit the publication of residents' last names.

When Amado took first place, Patty Gilchrest of Elizabeth Township sat in the audience beaming. Mrs. Gilchrest is a volunteer mentor at Auberle who takes Amado for outings on Saturdays or Sundays. During a recent outing to get his hair cut, she said Amado even practiced his words while in the salon chair.

"I had a feeling he would get a trophy, he worked so hard," Mrs. Gilchrest said.

When asked how he felt about getting the second-place trophy, Zach responded: "Not good," but at the same time had a wide smile on his face. Amado, who came in first place, thanked Zach for missing the word "lieutenant" which allowed Amado to be the champion.

Amado's winning word was "medallion."

Javon said he was pretty sure that he would get a trophy in the bee because he had studied so hard. And Alex, went from the agony of defeat when he was knocked out of the top three to the excitement of the winners circle when the last minute donation of a fourth place prize was announced.

Although the top four winners were the ones who walked away with prizes, there were a number of other tough spellers who hung on into the late rounds of the bee. Mrs. Cendroski said learning to lose was another important lesson the bee taught the Auberle residents. "It's really hard to lose, but it's part of the process. It's something we all have to learn," she said.

But, she said, because the children learned so many new spellings and gained a good deal of self-confidence through the bee, she said: "They are all winners."