The room buzzes with conversation, the air tense with excitement and eagerness. The students crowd the seats, their nervousness and anxiety almost getting the better of them. 6th, 7th, and 8th graders alike wait in anticipation to hear the instruction from Mrs.Styles. They all sit baited breath. As the instructions began, the light conversation began to dim. They listened intently. When the conversation finally concluded, its started. Ears perked up,  the students waited for their number to be called.

The first student went up, their hands twitching from the nerves. The word was uttered and then it truly began. The student raised her head, in a quivering yet determined voice spelled the very first word. The word was the faucet. The girl slowly murmured each letter. Chewing every syllable she finished the word. A look of sadness came from the judges. She had spelled it incorrectly. She was eliminated. The girl looked forlorn as she exited the room. The next person, a short boy approached close to the judges. The boy slowly recited the word and be it luck or intellect, the boy spelled every letter correctly and received a round of applause from the rest of the spellers. He looked eager and delighted and went to sit down next to the now empty chair of the first speller who had been eliminated.

As the spelling bee trailed along, one by one each speller took their places near the judges. Some went one for another round, while others were quickly eliminated. The very best part of the bee was not who wins or who didn’t get eliminated but rather the courage and determination of those who put in their best effort in their attempts at success. Great job to all who participated and did their very best to show the interest in words and their shining intellects!