Students around the county are hoping to
”
bee
”
the best speller in the county, even the state.
The San Benito County Spelling Bee gets started Feb. 4 and 11.
The top four spellers go on to the State Spelling Bee May 15 at
Sonoma State University and Miller Creek School in San Rafael.
The county holds two spelling competitions
– one for fourth, fifth and sixth graders and one for seventh
and eighth graders. The preliminary round of competition begins
with a written test Wednesday, Feb. 4 for fourth, fifth and sixth
graders and Wednesday, Feb. 11 for the junior high students. The
events start at 6:30 p.m. in the Margueri
te Maze Middle School Gym.
Students around the county are hoping to “bee” the best speller in the county, even the state.
The San Benito County Spelling Bee gets started Feb. 4 and 11. The top four spellers go on to the State Spelling Bee May 15 at Sonoma State University and Miller Creek School in San Rafael.
The county holds two spelling competitions – one for fourth, fifth and sixth graders and one for seventh and eighth graders. The preliminary round of competition begins with a written test Wednesday, Feb. 4 for fourth, fifth and sixth graders and Wednesday, Feb. 11 for the junior high students. The events start at 6:30 p.m. in the Marguerite Maze Middle School Gym.
“This is open to any student who is registered at a public, private or home school in San Benito County,” said Kim O’Connor, event organizer and educational consultant for the San Benito County Office of Education.
The preliminary round features a 50-word written test. Thirty-five of the words are chosen from a list handed out to participants before the test and 15 are randomly chosen from a dictionary, O’Connor said. The tests are graded by three different judges and the top 25 spellers go on to the County Spelling Bee Championship.
“We’re trying to find students who have strong spelling talent, who can spell just about anything, not just memorize a list,” O’Connor said.
The list of words for fourth, fifth and sixth graders include hello, wisdom, loquacious, Albuquerque and conscientious. The words vary from charge to brood to conqueror to surveillance for junior high students.
Over the years, students have come up with interesting ways to learn the words. Last year, one tape recorded each word on the list and played the tape over and over, O’Connor said. Other students have their siblings and parents quiz them to the point of exasperation, she said jokingly.
Spelling bees serve as an academic challenge for students, something missing in today’s society, O’Connor said. Much attention is spent on sports events.
Most teachers in the community advertise the competition to students.
“We have a lot of teachers who just make it fun for the kids,” O’Connor said.
Students who participate in spelling bees learn skills like public speaking, memorizing and sportsmanship, O’Connor said.
After the preliminary round, students compete in the county spelling bee. The top two spellers from each of the two categories move on to the state competition.
Those interested can pick up an entry form at the County Office of Education at 460 Fifth St. To participate, students must have their parents sign the form, either before or at the event.
The County Spelling Bee Championship will be held March 3 and 10. The top two spellers from each grade level category will represent the county at the California State Spelling Bee Championships. The State Elementary Spelling Bee Championship is Saturday, May 15 at Sonoma State University. The State Junior High Spelling Bee Championship will also be held on May 15 at Miller Creek School in San Rafael.
Trophies will be awarded at the county competition, but the stakes get higher at the state event. Prizes can be as high as a $1,000 savings bond.
For more information, call the County Office of Education at 637-5393.
