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Word by Word, Valley Students Compete for Spelling Glory

Imperial County's Top 59 Young Spellers Go Head-to-head in Region’s 20th Annual Bee.

With cheers, chuckles and a little wordplay to set the tone, the 20th annual Regional Imperial County Spelling Bee buzzed into action at the ��������’s Administrative Conference Center on Thursday, March 20, drawing students, families and fans from across the Valley for an evening of linguistic feats of strength.

�������� Student Events Manager Eileen Verdugo welcomed the students and the audience to the spelling bee with enthusiasm and a few quick jokes to warm up the crowd.

“Give your parents out in the crowd a big thumbs up. Show them how excited you are to be here,” she told the students. “Hang in there. We will ‘bee’ spelling soon. ‘Bee’ spelling. Get it? OK, OK, let’s be serious. I’ll be here all night.”

The event — a regional affiliate of the Scripps National Spelling Bee — brought together 59 students from 29 schools across Imperial County. Each had earned their place by finishing as one of the top two spellers at their school’s competition.

Before the first word was called, Imperial County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Todd Finnell took the stage to offer encouragement and highlight the significance of the event.

Finnell praised the role of academic events like the spelling bee in nurturing students’ unique interests and passions, calling them “a forum, an opportunity to actually express those, grow those, and interact with students from all across the county.”

He continued, “Spelling includes reading and the history and development of language … we’re excited to host it this time here at ��������.”

Looking out over the rows of young contestants and their families, Finnell acknowledged the preparation and perseverance required to reach this level. “They spend months preparing, practicing new words, reading books, playing word games, learning new strategies, and the rules for tonight’s event,” he said.

Even the audience had a part to play, he joked. “Like me, all of you will be attempting to spell each and every word in your head, right?” he said. “The thought of having to come up in front of a microphone, spell it out loud, and be judged on that — that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Author:
Eric Everwine
Calexico Chronicle