‘I was really proud just to be up there’: LPS students compete in the 37th Oral Spelling Bee

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Public Schools on Saturday welcomed middle school students and parents to the 37th Oral Spelling Bee.

The spelling bee was hosted at Culler Middle School, where 19 students between sixth and eighth grade competed.

After 18 rounds, seventh-grader Charani Kummiti of Marilyn Moore Middle School came out on top, and sixth-grader Eleanor Cintani from Irving Middle School placed second.

Both girls said they felt nervous while participating and were surprised with themselves as they got to the end, not expecting to make it as far as they did.

Cintani signed up for the event after seeing a poster in her classroom, and since her dad enjoyed spelling bee’s, she felt motivated to participate.

“I was really proud just to be up there,” Cintani said.

Kummiti joined the spelling bee after her parents signed her up, thinking it might be fun to try.

She said she would practice every day with her dad, getting ready to take the stage by storm.

Sara Danielson, a secondary English Language Arts curriculum specialist for LPS, helped promote the spelling bee, encouraging students to get involved.

“It’s a great way to work with students in the classroom and get them motivated,” Danielson said. “We also try to drop that there is a cash prize because sometimes people are motivated by money.”

The spelling bee included words from Scripps’ national list that is used at spelling bee’s across the United Sates.

With all the students varying in grade levels, Danielson believes it helps push them to immersing themselves in language.

“I appreciate so much, the amount of guts it takes to show up and stand on the stage with a microphone handed to you and getting tasked with spelling a word 100% accurate,” Danielson said. “I love that students take a try at it, I love to see where their mind is taking them. It’s a great opportunity to see how students are learning about language, thinking about language and learning how to spell it.”

Danielson encourages students to go out for the spelling bee each year because she believes LPS is “more than just a world of sports.”

“It’s a jumping off point for kids who are interested in language to see that there is more opportunity for other activities that they can do in high school,” Danielson said.

Since Kummiti placed first, she will continue onto Omaha for the regional spelling bee on March 15.

After regionals, winning students will advance to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.