Friday, November 8, 2013

S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G Bee Part 3


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!