The Spelling Bee

On march 5th I experienced my middle school's spelling bee. I was pleasantly surprised with the excitement that the day brought. The whole school was there to watch and cheer for the spellers. The students loved watching their friends get word after word correct. They even celebrated the students who missed words. The crowd was supportive and great to see, considering students can be cruel to one another.

Now onto the spellers. The spellers ranged from straight A students to students who seem to not care about school at all. All of them competing to see who could spell that last word correctly. The spellers also ranged from nervous to excited. Some students thrived in the environment while others shied away from the microphone completely. They wanted to be invisible but their skill with spelling words continued to put them in the spotlight. 

The third round is when the words started to take their toll. They got considerably harder and many spellers could not muster the right letters to conquer the words. The chairs on stage began to empty one by one. It began to look more lonely on the stage. The students had to trust themselves and remain calm as their classmates continued to vanish from the stage and leave only an empty chair behind. 

I will forever relish experiencing the school spelling bee. It was an experience like no other with students spelling their hearts out on that stage. The winner and alternate get to compete in the regional spelling bee against their rival schools best spellers. While they may not make it to Washington you could not deter these students from spelling every word with caution and confidence. 

The last three students would not give an inch to each other as word after word they spelled without flaw and continuing to put pressure on each other. No one would talk though. They were determined to win and show the school they were the best speller that the school had to offer. The crowd was mesmerized as the collective feeling in the room could not get more tense. 

With the list of words dwindling the students were sent back to their last period class. All left in the anticipation of two spellers that did not want to be dethroned. 

Now a couple days after the national Spelling bee I look back on my experience with fondness. Watching the student in Washington D.C. compete reminds me they all start at a school spelling bee with hopes of making it to D.C. The completion stays fierce and the students continue to spell. Spelling is a lost art today with spell check and kids iPhones using autocorrect.  I hope the joy of this event will help students see the value of spelling in a new world where its purpose is lost.