Students Compete in Regional Finals Spelling Bee

A spelling bee is a strange mix of pressure and possibility. One minute you’re sitting in your seat feeling perfectly calm, and the next your name is called and your heart starts pounding loud enough that you’re convinced everyone in the room can hear it. The walk to the microphone suddenly feels very long.

Our Middle Schoolers, Form 3’s Nina Mattamana, Ainsley Potters, and London Veseskis, shared this experience, with just a touch of butterflies, as they competed in the regional finals of the National Civics Bee at Waterbury City Hall on May 7. This competition for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders offers cash prizes and a chance to advance to the Connecticut State Finals for a shot at a $100,000 education scholarship. The students answered a round of 20 questions, and the top five were asked to defend their qualifying essays on how they can use civics to improve their communities.

The Scripts Spelling Bee is part of the Middle Schools Skills Incubator program, where students learn the magic of words and prepare for the competition.

Mattamana finished in fourth place and will advance to the Connecticut State Finals, held later in the spring, to compete for a spot in the national championship in Washington, D.C. Can you spell s-e-s-q-u-i-p-e-d-a-l-i-a-n?