Bee Bold, Brave, Brilliant: 2017 Spelling Bee

Concept Schools’ Annual Spelling Bee was held on November 11th in the University of Illinois at Chicago student center. This year’s theme Bee Bold, Brave, and Brilliant proved to be the case with some fierce competition. On behalf of Concept Schools, we thank everyone who contributed extra time and effort in to hosting your local spelling bees and arranging for your student winners to come to Chicago to compete in our network event. Following the list of winners is a video and photographs from our wonderful event.

A hearty congratulations to both the individual and team winners. May you all be pleased and proud of your accomplishments.

6-8 Individual Winners

3^rd Place – Edmund Dyer-Essig – HSA Springfield

2^nd Place – Bedri Parlar – Noble Academy Columbus

1^st Place – Victory Sampson – IMSA North

6-8 Team Winners

3^rd Place – HSA Springfield

2^nd Place – Noble Academy Columbus

1^st Place – IMSA North

3-5 Individual Winners

3^rd Place – Esad Gurbuz – HSA Lorain

2^nd Place – Jawad Chowdhury – MMSA Michigan

1^st Place – Christian Apollo – GSA Smiley

3-5 Team Winners

3^rd Place – HSA Lorain

2^nd Place – MMSA Michigan

1^st Place – GSA Smiley

Video:

Photos:

[Show slideshow]

2017 Concept Schools’ Spelling Bee is November 11th

Bee Bold, Brave, Brilliant

University of Illinois at Chicago

Student Center

750 South Halsted Street

Chicago, IL 60607

We hope you will take the time to prepare your students, hold your local competitions, and bring your winners to compete. Concept Schools’ offers a variety of special events that provide our students with the opportunity to speak in front of a live audience. The Spelling Bee allows our students to learn and spell new words, but also the opportunity to build confidence and self esteem.

Important Dates:

September 15 – November 1st: Register for the Chicago Spelling Bee
Saturday, November 11^th: Concept Schools’ Spelling Bee

Basic Information:

Click on the poster below to download and print.
The Chicago spelling bee is divided into two group competitions, 3^rd -5^th grade division and the 6^th-8^th grade division.
Each school may send one first place and one second place winner from each division (3rd-5th) and (6th-8th). Your alternate may attend the spelling bee but does not participate (unless one of your 1^st or 2^nd place winners care unable to compete).
You must register names/information of your school’s division winners (1^st and 2^nd place winners) and one alternate. Please use the Google Doc form to register your winners by Wednesday, November 1st.

Online Registration Form:

Spelling Bee 2017 Registration Form

Travel and lodging is up to each school to arrange individually.
Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m.
More details related to the Chicago event will be forthcoming and posted on the Concept English website: http://english.conceptschools.org/

For questions or information, contact Andy Flaherty at aflaherty@conceptschools.org

Local Spelling Bee Ideas

Use the PDF’s for 3^rd-5^th and 6^th-8^th grade called “The Spelling Bee Toolbox” from Ann Fisher (a vendor who Concept Schools regularly uses for their word lists.) Here is a link to a Google Drive. Please note that these are “practice lists” and not the actual lists that will be used for our network bee.

Suggestions to prepare your students for our competition:

Competitions. Set a start time and, if you open it up to other schools in your area, stick to your start time with no exceptions.
Order of Spellers. Have students line up in alphabetical order by grade level. Progress from 3^rd through 5^th, and then 6^th through 8^th.
Student Numbers. Students are in alphabetical order and the first last name with letter A would be 1. For example, 301 for 3^rd grade, 401 for 4^th grade, etc.
Awards. In your school based spelling bees, have a 1^stplace champion and a 2^nd place runner up for each division. Those two students will represent your school in Chicago. You may also determine an alternate/3^rd place winner who may also attend in Chicago as an alternative. The alternate will only participate if either your 1^st or 2^nd place winner in that division cannot compete.
Some additional resources for spelling words:

Idea Bank for School Programs and Classroom Instruction. See Google Drive.

Shout out to Ms. Petrella at HSA Belmont who has used this year’s theme and created her local competition.

I woke up the next morning, thinking about those words – immensely proud to realize that not only had I written so much at one time, but I’d written words that I never knew were in the world.

Spelling Bee