Onslaught. O-N-S-L-A-U-G-H-T. Onslaught. That was the winning word by St. Francis Middle School sixth grader Charlotte Rasmussen at the SFMS Spelling Bee on Jan. 14. As the school’s champion, Rasmussen now advances to the Scripps Twin Cities Regional Spelling Bee on March 5 at St. Paul College.
“I’m proud of myself and it feels great [to be the champion],” Rasmussen said. “I studied really hard for about two-three weeks using the packet and the app.”
Students received a study packet to practice the words in advance and an app was also available for the students to sharpen their spelling skills. Family members were invited to the school spelling bee, which combined all three grades to crown a building champion. St. Francis High School student Skyler Algiere served as the pronouncer. SFMS language arts teachers Becky Vevle and Katie Cady, and SFMS math teacher SarahJohnson ran the event, while St. Francis Area Schools School Board member Jake Humphrey served as a judge. View photos from the competition.“Their dedication to learning correct spelling and increasing their vocabularies will help them throughout their life,” said Vevle. “Participating in this event helped them build confidence, gain public speaking experience, practice poise under pressure and set goals. I’m so proud of all who participated.”
The competition started with all students from each grade level taking a written spelling exam. From there, students were selected to participate in a verbal spelling bee at each grade level. The finalists from each grade level advanced to the school spelling bee, which featured 13 students. Participating in the spelling bee competitions was voluntary.
Velve was the driver in getting the spelling bee back into the building after many years of not participating in the event, but said she plans to continue the event next year.