Wit and Banter at 33rd Spelling Bee

The thirty-third Groton School spelling bee, April 9, drew a large crowd to the Sackett Forum in the Schoolhouse. They came for the serious competition as well as the not-so-serious antics of the event’s faculty leaders.

 

The bee’s theme was inspired by the presidential campaign, and Señor John Conner and Señor Andy Anderson played presidential candidates at the event and in the Roll Call announcements preceding it.

 

Sr. Conner, Spanish teacher and dean of faculty, and Sr. Anderson, Spanish teacher and director of financial aid, generated buzz about the bee by sharing their platforms: increased spelling education throughout the country and tax credits for families who invest in books related to spelling. The tagline on posters throughout the Schoolhouse: "Make America Spell Again.”

 

Representatives from each dormitory showed their skills after a dramatic entrance from the balcony to music from the movie Rocky. One by one, they stepped to the lectern to spell words such as “somersault,” “quandary,” and “turquoise.” Contestants were slowly eliminated, having misspelled a word, often by a single letter. It all came down to the final two contestants: Candilla Park ’18 and Teddy Carlin ‘20. When Teddy stumbled on “aardvark” and Candilla spelled it correctly, a new champion was crowned.

 

“This event is one of Groton’s great treasures,” said Sr. Conner. “Not only did Groton students help to 'Make America Spell Again,' they also showed that, in the year 2016, old-fashioned competition of the mind still draws a huge crowd.”  The entire Groton community looks forward to the thirty-fourth bee in the spring of 2017. 

Photo by Ibante Smallwood '16