CMS Puts Words to the Test! Friday, March 06, 2009 By Anne Ruuskanen [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising Knowledge of words was put on stage as middle schoolers participated in the Clinton County Spelling Bee. Judges stood by, waiting for the next contestant to pass on or misspell their word. Meanwhile the other students sat by anxiously. Cameron Middle Schoolers who wanted to participate were aided by 5th Grade Science Teacher Mrs. Gunn. She is in charge of  sponsoring students for the Spelling Bee. Students in grades 5-8 are able to participate. Students are handed a 'Spell It' book with words used from previous Spelling Bees. This gives them a general idea of what they should be studying and plenty of time before the first competition.The Spelling Bee was held Tuesday, February 17 at CMS. Other schools who participated were the Lathrop and Plattsburg middle schools. Mrs. Gunn said, "Each grade level determines their own method as to how the students get chosen. Usually we have a spelling contest in the 5th grade, and 6th grade had their own spelling contest. The 7th and 8th graders go from spelling tests and then have a spell-down from those results. " Eighth grader Adam Usher said, "I did a little bit of studying with my Language teacher and with a study group. Last year, I didn't get the list until after I had won the Spelling Bee so I never knew what words I was supposed to study for." Adam was the winner of this year's countywide Spelling Bee as well. He has been in 5 Spelling Bees. Preparation is always important. Though the Spelling Bee is not an actual test, it still takes lots of preparation. The Spell It book provides kids with helpful study ideas, tips, and other suggestions. Study groups can be formed for time outside of school with other students entering the Spelling Bee. Sixth grader Nathan Ice said, "I went home and practiced each word that I didn't know about twenty times a day." Nathan went on to be co-champion for the Spelling Bee. Being on stage can be stressful, whether you recite a speech, act out a play, or even spell one of the simplest words. It may be the crowd beyond the judges watching you or the judges listening for any mistakes you might make. Either way, being in front of a large crowd gets pretty nerve-wracking. "I think most of the kids this year seemed to be pretty at ease with being in front of the crowd," said Mrs. Gunn. Nathan said, "I think I was most nervous about getting out every time it was my turn. I remember sitting with the others just thinking about how I would do with my next word." But thankfully a Spelling Bee isn't all worries. Students can have fun studying and learning new words. They may even find they already know some of the words. Spelling can be made into games such as Sparkle (a game where each student gives the next letter of the word and the last says "sparkle") or even a matching game where students match the word to the spelling on a card. Either way, spelling can be lot of fun. Spelling also helps to improve your writing skills, and those with a knack for it really do well in subjects such as Reading and Language.    The words which were spelled range from levels intermediate-challenger. Nathan said, "Make sure you put in a whole lot of studying if you plan on being in a Spelling Bee." Both Nathan and Adam have helpful hints to pass down to other students, but Mrs. Gunn also has advice as well. "I think getting together with other students to practice works in general, and breaking some of the words down into separate parts can help a lot, too," she said. And remember, another useful hint is just to spell it like it sounds. Study your words and sharpen your thinking cap. You never know when you could end up winning a large Spelling Bee. "I'm proud of myself because it's another accomplishment that will look good on my future college resume," Adam said with a smile.

Back to the articles list