A spelling bee can be viewed in different ways. Some view it as if they are watching an exhilarating war of intelligence; others may view it as a boring snooze-fest, and some view it as a brilliant opportunity for all involved.

The first round of the 2020 Spelling Bee was a success at SHS was a success.

On Friday, January 24, 2020, the spelling bee was held in the auditorium during periods one and two for sophomores and juniors, and periods eight and nine for seniors.

Five SHS juniors will advance to the next round. They will begin the competitive part of the process at the next round of the spelling bee at the junior high. The process will get harder as they move up in the rounds.

The contestants are Amina Bhuiyan, Ciara Conboy, Karen DeFino, Jake Hoffman, and Libby Nordmark.

The spelling bee was run by Ms. Sandy DeFino. She wanted to make this year’s spelling bee different from previous years, by inviting any students to come, in hopes of a bigger participation total.

“This year we’re inviting all the kids to come if they want to,” said DeFino. “Before it was two kids selected from every English class, but we’re hoping by inviting everyone to get a larger turnout.”

The spelling bee participation rate is a work in progress that requires leaders to try different techniques in order to get more students to participate. As the spelling bee moves forward, it will include more and more schools. This will make the spelling bee an even more interesting competition as it moves onward.

Good luck to the participants in the next round!