How can I
describe the Interregional Spelling Bee?
With a smile
spreading over my face as I over hear a 9th grader teaching a 6th
grader how to use one of the spelling words in a complete sentence.
With tears welling
up as I see the three elementary students from Santa Cruz in the top 3 places
in their age division.
With seeing Peace
Corps fading out the Spelling Bee picture, knowing that Ticos will step up and
lead the spelling bee in years to come.
With hugs and words
of encouragement from parents and teachers to students who didn’t do as well as
they wanted
With applause and
every “You are correct”
With Santa Cruz
participants holding the four of the top 9 places
With accepting their
loss with grace
With accepting their
win with even bigger grace
With students
learning 600 English words to reach this point
With the thought of
business owners and employees judging and announcing the bee next year
With smiles
With high fives
With conversations
in English with all my students
With last minute studying
sessions
With new friendships
formed
With laughter about
Guanacastecos getting car sick in the mountains
With talk of next
year’s competition
To put it into one word the 1st
Interregional Spelling bee was a SUCCESS.
So many people invested in this project that only two years ago was a
dream. Students, parents,
teachers, administrative staff, and volunteers worked many hours to make this
the success that it was.
This project
started last year in a handful of schools that had volunteers in them. This year it spread to over 50 schools
and hundreds of
students.
The trip to Los
Santos was many students first time out of their town. It exposed students to students from
other areas. This built
friendships that otherwise wouldn’t have happened with students, parents, and
teachers.
We got
spoiled. Grants and donations made
the spelling bee free to all the participating students and one of their
teachers.
The day before
the event we traveled to Los Santos to be greeted with dinner and some artistic
presentations and stayed the night in nice hotels.
The next day we
jumped right in with the top three elementary kids needing to go to the secret
word list. Then the junior high
group had a showdown between three students (two of them from Santa Cruz) for
third place. And then the competition ended with the high school group demonstrating
their firm grasp on the English language.
Next year will be
even bigger and greater, and I am sad I will be missing it. But so proud to be part of it this
year!
