Word Wizards Cast a Spell at LVJUSD Spelling Bee

From LVJUSD: From “zero” to “zucchini” in only a few short rounds, the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) Spelling Bee was a nail-biter from start to finish.

Every competitor, representing the top spellers at each of their respective school sites, spelled their way through an impressive array of words while the audience held its breath. The poise and sportsmanship of each student contributed to a respectful atmosphere for both competitions. The event for students in grades 4-6 took place on February 6, 2019, and on February 13, 2019 for grades 7-8. As LVJUSD Superintendent Kelly Bowers, Ed.D. said, “This is your time to shine in front of your families, your principals, and your peers,” and the spellers certainly delivered.

For the first time in recent memory, all 33 spellers from the grades 4-6 group went through the first two rounds without any eliminations; but even as some began to be eliminated from the competition, spirits stayed high. After misspelling a word and returning to her family in the audience, Lily Feng of Arroyo Seco planted herself in a seat. “I want to stay and see who wins!” she declared, enthusiastically supporting her peers to the dramatic end.

Those in the audience were forced to stifle their excitement and trepidation as the spellers worked out their words, some of which they had never heard or seen before but managed to work out with phenomenal skill. The students’ abilities to determine how unfamiliar words should be constructed was a brilliant demonstration from diligent readers and writers who have a sophisticated understanding of complex words, displaying this skill even in their misspellings, and each proving their mettle.

In the end, after fourteen hard-fought rounds in the 4-6 grade contest, Luke Bailey from Joe Michell K-8 and Ashley Lane from Smith Elementary dueled over the word “memorabilia,” which Bailey spelled successfully. He sealed his victory with the word “deciduous.” In the 7-8 grade event, Roya Rashidchi of Christensen Middle School delivered a one-two punch with “connoisseur” and “claustrophobia” – the latter narrowly missed by Mendenhall Middle School’s Austin Antony in the final round – and won on the word “lieutenant.”

The first and second place winners from both groups will advance to the 2019 Alameda County Spelling Bee Championship on Saturday, March 16 in San Leandro Arts Education Center. The elementary student competition begins at 9 a.m. and the junior high competition at 12:30 p.m.

Photo courtesy of the Livermore Granada Boosters