by Ainsley T.

The Spanish Spelling Bee is an annual event at Alamo Heights Junior School that celebrates students’ dedication to learning Spanish. This competition boosts students’ self-confidence and encourages them to try their best to spell words in Spanish. It is an exciting event that brings students, teachers, and families together.

Srta. Acosta, Spanish teacher at Alamo Heights Junior School, shared, “The Spanish Spelling Bee is an annual event that we have here at the Junior School. The students compete by spelling different words in Spanish, and whoever wins here at the Junior School goes on to the regionals and maybe even state.” The Spanish Spelling Bee is held not only at the Junior School, but also at the High School and elementary schools as well.

“Anyone can participate in the Spanish Spelling Bee, but they must first take the qualifying test to make sure they have a basic level of Spanish spelling before they compete,” explained Srta. Acosta. This ensures that all participants are prepared and know how to spell basic words in Spanish.

“The contest is structured with Srta. Ramos announcing the words. She will say the word, use it in a sentence, and then repeat the word. Then the students have to spell the word,” explained Srta. Acosta. If the students spell it correctly, they move on to the next round, and if they spell it incorrectly, they are eliminated.

“To prepare for the spelling bee, my mom would give me the words, and I would try to spell them,” shared Grace Martínez, a tied third-place winner of the Spanish Spelling Bee. Studying and preparing for the spelling bee can be one of the hardest parts. Tied third-place winner Helena Carrizales Villa mentioned, “I practiced a lot, and one of my friends helped me because she also speaks Spanish.”

When students participate in this competition, they face multiple challenges. “These words are hard; some of them are really long, and I have never heard of them before,” said Srta. Acosta. These words are challenging because they are long, contain accents, and have silent letters that make them more difficult to spell.

Grace Martínez shared, “One of the hardest parts of the spelling bee was knowing where to put the accents.” There are many things to remember in Spanish, especially where the accents go.

This contest builds self-confidence as students spell against classmates and students from other schools. Srta. Acosta mentioned, “The goal of the Spanish Spelling Bee is to improve spelling, promote bilingualism, and help students refine their language skills! It’s also a nice little competition and a great way for our school to compete with other schools.”

Helena Carrizales Villa shared, “The spelling bee helped me improve my Spanish because I did not know how to spell some of the words.” There are many benefits to participating in the Spanish Spelling Bee, including learning new words in Spanish.

“The Spanish Spelling Bee has helped me spell better in Spanish,” said Grace Martínez. Students can learn so much from the spelling bee, including a new Spanish vocabulary.

The words for the Spanish Spelling Bee are selected by Region 20. “Region 20 is the governing body of this district,” shared Srta. Acosta. The students who participate in the spelling bee are given a large packet of Spanish words, and then Region 20 selects which ones to use for the spelling bee here at the Junior School.

“We have three judges who judge the contest, and they come from different school districts,” said Srta. Acosta. The judges are either Spanish teachers from other school districts or other Region 20 staff who come to help and judge the contest.

There are several ways students can support their classmates and friends, and it is as simple as showing up. “I think it would be fantastic if people would come and watch and support our students that night, especially our Spanish-speaking students who understand what’s going on,” shared Srta. Acosta enthusiastically.

The Spanish Spelling Bee at Alamo Heights Junior School not only challenges students to spell in Spanish, but also creates a strong sense of community and support among students, teachers, and families. It builds self-confidence and helps students learn new vocabulary words.