Northside students win spelling bee

DECATUR — A key element in the success of professional life for adults lies in one of the most fundamental subjects that has been taught since man learned to write, spelling.

And what better way to learn to spell than in a competitive format. One Decatur student will get the chance to compete in a countywide spelling bee in January.

Fifteen third-and fourth-graders competed in the 2020 Decatur Elementary Spelling Bee on Dec. 4. Third-grader Kylie Fernandez won the event, while fourth-grader Grace Curbow took second place. Fernandez will attend the Benton County spelling bee on January 16 and could go on to regionals, state and national competition later in 2021

In 1808, the first competitive spelling contests were known as a spelling match and occurred on the local and regional level. However, in 1850, the spelling bee began to grow past local schools, towns and county seats. These competitions were organized as a way to motivate students to learn a standardized system of spelling. This all centered around master wordsmith Daniel Webster and his spelling book primer, “The Blue-backed Speller,” which was first published in 1783. Like his now-famous dictionary, Webster’s spelling book became a widely used reference guide in elementary, secondary, and college- level schools for more than 150 years.

The first official spelling bee on a national basis was held by the National Education Association in 1908 in Cleveland, Ohio, and was won by an African-American girl named Marie Bolden.

In 1925, the first annual national spelling bee was organized by “The Courier-Journal” of Louisville, Ky., and was held in Washington.

An 11-year-old named Frank Neuhauser won that event.

The Scripps Howard News Service took over the sponsorship of the event in 1941 and continues to oversee the event today. The Scripps group’s purpose for holding the spelling bee “is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives” (spellingbee.com).

Students participating in this year’s Northside event included the following:

• Fourth grade: Kate Herrera, Eathon Mejia, Logan Smith, Lane Wood, Grace Curbow, Jennifer Fuentes, Eithan Herrera and Matthew Xiong;

• Third grade: Madison Price, Sophie Garcia, Avah East, Kylie Fernandez, Gage Hopkins and Natalie Dela Rosa.

The 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee is currently scheduled to take place in Harbor, Md., on June 1-3, 2021.

(Courtesy Photo) Two students took first and second place in this year’s 2020-21 Decatur Northside Spelling Bee on Dec. 4. Grace Curbow (left) took second place, while Kylie Fernandez was the first-place winner. As the first-place winner, Fernandez will represent Decatur in the Benton County Spelling Bee on Jan. 16 in Bentonville.