A Mighty Showing for DPSCD Spelling Bee Participants
Seventy-three spellers from around the region competed in the WXYZ Channel 7 Regional Spelling Bee on March 11 at the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit, and DSPCD students made an impressive showing in both numbers and spirit.
It came down to the final round, and 12-year-old Davison Elementary-Middle School student, Zaara Nor, took second place. Her calm presence on stage, through rounds of spelling words like intaglio, scherzo, and philately won the audience over. DPSCD staff and other participants were on the edge of their seats with each new word into the 14th round. While only the first place winner will go on to compete in the National Scripps Spelling Bee on May 27, she will return to school as the District’s winner. The best part is that she has another chance to dominate next year’s competition.
The event marked the biggest turnout for Detroit Public Schools Community District with 54 spellers and set the tone for next year. We look forward to carrying on this tradition as spelling bees provide valuable educational experiences for children and allow them to engage in healthy competition. Also important to note is the valuable learning outcome of our students mastering different vocabulary; the words were tough! The study of words leading up to the competition results in greater knowledge and often results in student interest in tracing the origin of a word and its etymology. We encourage all spelling bee coordinators to plant the seeds for next year’s competition early!