Literacy Council’s spelling bee slated to return on May 8

TEXARKANA, Texas — The Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties’ annual Spelling Bee is B-A-C-K in early May, pitting local teams against each other for a coveted trophy and the glory of spelling.

The Literacy Council fundraiser, which was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, returns at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, at Texarkana College’s Truman Arnold Center. This year, teams will congregate to compete while team supporters and the public can watch online.

Literacy Council Executive Director Jenny Walker says the bee will look a bit different than it has in the past. Teams can register through April 30.

“Usually it’s a big, lively event with audience participation and all kinds of stuff. However, we’re still very cautious about a large group, so we’re going to livestream the event for a virtual audience, and the only people who will be in actual attendance in person will be our team members,” Walker said.

The teams will be spread out at the bee. The Literacy Council is working with TigerVision at Texas High School for the livestream.

“We’re hoping to have really good participation. We’re hoping that we can kind of make up for some lost revenue since we weren’t able to do it last year,” Walker said. “We’re wanting this to be the biggest and best.”

Teams consist of three people and a designated alternate player. When teams register, they receive a study guide with a word list packet they can use to prepare for the spelling battles ahead. At the bee, teams can collaborate before announcing the spelling they offer for each word.

“When it gets down to two teams, the words that we call out for those last two teams will not be on the study guide,” Walker said.