Four Grade 8 students from School District 69 (Qualicum) are finalists in the regional competition of the Times Colonist Vancouver Island Regional Spelling Bee at the University of Victoria on Sat., Feb. 25.
Springwood Middle School students Giuseppi Bochek and Abby Lefeaux, enthusiastic and studious spellers, will be at the microphone battling it out against other wordsmiths from all over Vancouver Island.
Oceanside Middle School students Katja Kiefer and Elysia Biro will also be among the super spellers.
A total of 61 spellers will be in Victoria, as Postmedia Canspell Regional Spelling Bees launch in 21 Canadian cities.
Lefeaux, a French Immersion student at SMS, said with the help of her mom and dad, she has been practicing English words for about an hour a day.
She admitted her love of reading has been a huge factor in her success.
“I have done a lot of reading and that helps a lot,” she stated.
Bochek, who admitted he has always been a good speller, said he also practices for about an hour every night.
“I try to learn new words every day. I’m definitely excited about going,” he said.
Elaine Inouye, who teaches English to both students at Springwood Middle School, co-ordinated that school’s spelling contest and said a lot of students participated.
Regional spelling bees will take place in Victoria, Vancouver, Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Windsor, Ottawa, Montreal, Saint John, Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown and St. John’s.
The regional competitions, which have students studying new words, expanding their vocabularies and honing their language skills, culminate at the Postmedia Canspell National Final in Toronto on March 28.
There, the 21 finalists vie for the Canspell Cup, $15,000 in education awards and the chance to compete internationally at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. at the end of May.
On April 1, CBC Television will air the competition from coast-to-coast, capturing every exciting moment.