In a schoolhouse built more than 100 years ago, Joan Weber flipped through the dictionary for words such as "frequently," "preference" and "sarcastic" for a spelling bee in the Latrobe Senior Center last week.

About seven of the 30 seniors gathered in the Schoolhouse Cafe attempted words including "abbreviation," "nutritious" and "elimination" that ended up stumping the participants.

Weber, the center's activities director, conferred with Barbara Spahn, a retired art teacher, to choose the words.

One woman jokingly requested an easy word to which Spahn replied, "I don't know, they all seem to have a good many letters."

The informal affair, preceding the regular luncheon and bingo games, included the awarding of ribbons and Red Delicious apples to three winners.

Nancy Busch, 69, of Latrobe was one of the three who spelled seven words correctly.

"It exercises your mind. I need anything I can do to help," she said. "I write poetry all the time, but that doesn't mean I don't need the dictionary. But I always like English and spelling."

Joe Templeton, 84, and Wanda Zuzack, 82, both of Latrobe, were the other two awardees.

Spahn said the seniors seemed to enjoy the event, although she said she was glad she did not have to participate.

"I don't spell very well myself," she said. "I always spell phonetically, just the way it sounds."

Busch said the atmosphere of the newly renovated building, combined with the spelling bee, made her remember her past.

"This brings back good memories of when I went to school -- the floors and the blackboards -- since some schools don't have those anymore," she said.

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