BY DAWN REDIG neighborsgo editor
This week neighborsgo is buzzing with good news relating to bees. Not the honeybee variety, but the kind that adds up to sweet success for local students. We’re talking about spelling bees, geography bees and even an academic decathlon.
Rockwall High School opens its doors to 28 schools across Region X today to begin the Academic Decathlon, which continues through Saturday.
“This is our second year to host,” said RHS associate principal Erica Crump. “It rotates through and each district hosts for two years in a row.” This same event takes place all across the United States on the same day, with schools competing to advance to state and then nationals.
RHS will dismiss at noon today in preparation for the Latin American-themed decathlon.
“As we use every square inch of our building for the various competitive events, RHS students will be allowed this one day of early dismissal,” Crump explained.
Students will compete in math, music, economics, science, speech, literature and art, as well as Super Quiz – a Jeopardy/College Bowl event.
Cain Middle School recently hosted its National Geographic Bee, with eighth-grader Tristan Barry taking top honors. As the winner of the campus contest, Tristan now takes a written test which is mailed to National Geographic Bee headquarters. Depending on his score, Tristan may advance to state competition in Austin.
The Fulton School of Heath congratulates its top ten geography bee participants. They are Tim Brimelow, Morgan Froehlich, Connor Harold, Laine Ellison, Moses Chapeton, Will Crutchfield, John Crutchfield, Jordan Steen, Nathaniel Wang and Andrew Wilson.Connor answered every question in the first seven rounds correctly – a school record. He was eliminated in the championship round. Tim took first place, with Morgan as runner-up.
Fourth-grader Kennedy Cross came out on top of Lakeland Academy’s geography bee. The winning question was: “The Yamana are a people indigenous to Tierra del Fuego, an island at the southernmost point in South America that is divided between Argentina and what country to the west?”
“I knew the answer [Chili] because my mom bought me a shower curtain that has the world map on it, and when I'm in the shower, I look at the map... I remembered at the bottom of South America is Tierra del Fuego right next to Chile,” Kennedy wrote in an essay.
Nebbie Williams Elementary hosted a spelling bee for third through sixth-graders. First place finisher Rachel Farrow will go on to compete in the RockwallCounty spelling bee on Feb. 3.
Sixth-grader James Clark is also headed to the county bee, after winning first place at Rochell Elementary. Fifth-grader Madzia Kochan is runner-up. Thanks to Marvin Lee, retired head of language arts at RHS, for returning as “pronouncer.”Put all these busy bees together and it spells S-U-C-C-E-S-S for local students. Share the buzz at your school by posting your news at neighborsgo.com.
Did you know?
...that the term “bee” to describe a spelling contest emerged in the United States in the 1870s when, like the social insect, neighbors would work together for the common good? Farmers organized husking bees, housewives hosted quilting bees, and spelling matches became spelling bees.
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