The Best of the Best

I need to get some photos posted but wanted to post a news update on the Spelling Bee. It was last night and was a very cool and professional event. It was hosted by the Uno Charter Schools at one of their elementary schools. There are seven schools in the system and each school had a spelling bee to prepare for this event and sent their top speller in grades 2 through 8.  It was a cool little auditorium and the participants would sit on stage in a row. Each one would come up, get their word and try to spell it. There was a screen behind them, that as they spelled the word the judges typed it out. If they got it wrong, they were eliminated and the proper spelling of the word was put on the board. The students during round one had to come up and introduce themselves, I think Novi was the only one that didn't appear nervous. They group them into three categories. It was 2nd and 3rd graders, 4th and 5th and then 6th through 8th. So that meant that Novali would be up against 3rd graders as well. Tough challenge.  Her group had 14 students (one 2nd and 2rd grader from each school) and they went first. It was off to a good start and the words got harder and harder. Novali made it to the top 7 and the words really started to get hard. SERENDIPITY. ALFALFA. BOUTIQUE. She got some zingers right (I forget what words she spelled in early rounds) and stayed on into the top 5! That's when words got really hard. She got IGUANA. CROISSANT. GENRE. and I forget what else right... and then she made it to the top 4! Thats when the words really ramped up. I don't remember all of them, but Novali got some mega hard ones correct.  Novali was eliminated on a word I am not sure I could spell had I not seen it on her spelling sheet. QUICHE. Unlike others though when they didn't know a word; she thought about it, was poised, and then spelled it phonetically as best she could. She turned around and waited to see the correct spelling and then took her seat. In the top three were two 3rd graders and one 2nd grader. So really she placed in 2nd place out of students from her grade. It was a very proud day as my daughter is the best of the best.  She took the loss well, didn't want to take photos but besides that was upbeat. I am glad she wasn't a sour sport about it, and happy that she made it so far. I will try to post photos this weekend...