When you hear the word deluxe, which spelling usually comes to mind? Is it d-e-l-u-x or d-e-l-u-x-e? Is it possible for “Spelling Bees” to spell the word correctly? May the 23rd saw the great achievements of 32 students selected from 8 different classes, participating in school’s Spelling Bee Contest. Each participant should spell the given word within 1 minute after provided with its pronunciation, definition, etc. The competition not only put students’ vocabulary to the test, but also required concentration, confidence and perseverance. As the competition went on, the escalating difficulty put stress on everyone who survived. After seven rounds of fierce competition，Billy (孙乐) of class 3 won the first prize with wisdom and his charm of manner.

It was an elegant and graceful contest, because apart from their marvelous performance, the contestants also showed the spirit of competition and their great sense of justice. Take Cheryl（邓旸）from 1A as an example, she spelled the word “marvelous” in the American way and was out of the game, for it did not match the standard answer from our teachers. Tony from 5B stood out for her in a rational manner. He pointed out that both ways of spelling should be accepted and waited for judges’ answer. Thanks to his brave action, Cheryl was welcomed back to the stage to continue the competition.

In the end, Billy won the first prize and was interviewed about how he felt by the host. “Though I hate insects, I am glad to be the ‘Spelling Bee’.” He said. When asked about his secret of memorizing words, he said that he didn’t recognize many words that he encountered in the contest, but he spelled them correctly by following the rules of pronunciation.

Unlike other contestants who usually asked for definitions or example sentences, Billy asked for alternative pronunciations and parts of speech that could help him to spell out the word. Many students believed that this game strategy also contributed to his success.

One of the judges, Mrs. Coby appreciated students’ performance in the competition and sent her best wishes to students’ future English study. She humorously mentioned that it was quite difficult for her to memorize Chinese characters. She hoped that by holding such a contest, students could pay attention to their English spelling. The preciseness that Spelling Bee contest requires may well reflect our school motto: rigorous in learning.

高二 周臻、吴笑翠报道