“A–P–A–R–T–M–E–N–T.”
A pause.
“That is correct!”
A grin spread across the scholar’s face as he returned to his seat. Later, still beaming, he shared, “I learned how to spell the word apartment!”
Across every Open Doors Academy program this winter – from our youngest scholars sounding out syllables to those in fifth and sixth grade tackling multi-syllabic challenges – spelling bees challenged scholars in the best way possible.
At Breakthrough Shoreview Elementary School, families braved the cold weather to watch their children carefully articulate letters through the microphone.
Some scholars closed their eyes to concentrate; some traced invisible letters into their palms. When a word proved tricky, there were encouraging nods from friends and reassuring smiles from judges.
Serving as a judge that afternoon, ODA Board Member and attorney at Tucker Ellis, Giuseppe Pappalardo, reflected:
“Anytime I can spend time with ODA’s scholars, it is time well spent. It was clear that they were invested in doing their best, and I was so impressed with how well they were able to spell difficult words, even under all that pressure. What struck me the most was that, on a cold winter afternoon, friends, family, and the ODA scholars had a place to come, cheer each other on, laugh, and be together in a positive environment for all those involved.”
Across our sites, scholars learned and studied word lists and quizzed each other in the weeks leading up to their Bee. And when the moment came, they stepped forward.
Academic and personal growth is often incremental. Sometimes it looks like a scholar walking up to the mic and spelling a word correctly.
Can you spell “BELIEVE”?
