"Spelling Success"

By Sophia Sher

February 12, 2024

On Friday, October 27, 2023, Mahiya Parekh triumphed over 36 hopefuls for an opportunity to represent JMS at the Long Island Regional Scripps Spelling Bee.

In the auditorium, winners of each class spelling bee from sixth to eighth grade competed for the chance to be crowned the school’s top speller. Students and teachers filed into the auditorium to watch the bee during their third and fourth period classes, while families of the participants were invited to stay for the full duration of the competition. 

As the audience buzzed with anticipation, the contestants sat nervously on the stage waiting for the competition to start. They had been given a list of all the words that could have possibly been in use during the spelling bee about two weeks before, giving them time to prepare. When called to spell a word, students could say “repeat” to restart their spelling, and were also allowed to ask for the definition of the word and hear it in a sentence. There were many different tactics used by the students in the bee, such as pretending to write out the word on their own hand. According to Ms. Scalera, who organizes the annual JMS spelling bee, “I think the best tactic is to spell slowly. If you're not familiar with the word, you can ask for its definition and ask to hear it in a sentence because it might remind you of something you have read or seen before.” 

Ms. Scalera believes that the spelling bee is valuable not only in spelling but also in character-building. She explained, “I think it's wonderful to represent your class in a composed manner on stage in front of many people. Students might encounter that scenario later on in life and be able to overcome stage fright. This experience teaches participants to be a gracious loser or a humble winner.” 

Indeed, being a part of the JMS spelling bee is an impactful experience, providing lasting lessons in both language and life.