THE SPELLING BEEEEE

The spelling bee. A national hallmark, kept close to many hearts. I never participated in a spelling bee in elememtary school. Every year I was the alternate, living in the shadow of Jackie Woods. But this is not the time for me to dwell on the past, because Thursday night, the U.S. crowned a now queen of spelling, Katharine Close. After much hype from a new musical, documentary, and feature film, the national spelling bee was, for the first time, broadcasted on prime time television. The kids who have achieved national spelling bee participant status are some of the smartest and most motivated in the country. Studying for hours a night for years and years.

The National Spelling Bee begain 88 years ago in Louisville, KY. In 1941, the Scripps Howard News Company aquired the sponsorship for the bee, and since then it has been called the Scripps National Spelling Bee. As well as covering the 50 U.S. states, several competitors also come from Canada, the Bahamas, New Zealand, and Europe. Students participate in bees locally, regionally, and eventually nationally.