Borden Elementary School hosted a battle on the hardwood Thursday evening like it has never seen before. But it wasn’t basketball that had nearly 4,500 Hoosier students pitted against each other inside the gymnasium. And the coaches were teaching their teams more than just Xs and Os.
This was a battle of words and all of the letters in the alphabet were required.
Clad in school colors and armed with nothing but their smarts, the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students rattled off — letter by letter — words like boondoggle, hyacinth and umbelliferous in their quest to be the best at the 17th annual Indiana Academic Spell Bowl .
Unlike the increasingly popular and nationally televised Scripps National Spelling Bee, the students participating in Thursday’s event got to write out the words they were spelling and they competed as part of a team. “[The students] enjoy the competition ... and they feel confident about their spelling ability,” said Pat Renn, fifth grade teacher and co-coach from Henryville Elementary.
Renn has been coaching her team with sixth grade Henryville teacher Shawn Turner for several years.
“This type of kid enjoys an unusual challenge,” Turner said. “They enjoy academic challenges.”
Eight students per team, from Borden, Henryville, Jonathan Jennings and Silver Creek elementaries competed in the bowl against each other as well as students from all across the state.
The rules of the event had each child competing individually by being presented seven words and given twenty seconds to spell each word correctly. The competition lasted eight rounds and the number of words spelled correctly were part of an aggregate score for the team.
After the competition is over, the total scores are sent off to the state, tallied up and then the top ten teams in Indiana are recognized, according to Borden Elementary School Principal Myra Powell.
And just like any other team sport the kids participating practiced outside of school and had tryouts to make the team.
The practice paid off for fifth grade Henryville student, Kolin Edrington.
“I really practiced three-days-a-week, for about an hour-and-a-half or so,” he said. “I tried to do it last year, but I didn’t make it so then this year I started practicing more ... and I got on [the team].”
Not only did Edrington make the team, but he led off the bowl notching a perfect score of seven words spelled right.
Edrington wasn’t the only student competing for the first time.
Garrett Burke, a fourth grader at Jonathan Jennings was participating in his first spelling bowl.
“I like to spell and I got a lot of 100 [percents] on my spelling tests,” he said.
Burke said he was excited to compete and thought his team would do well, but expected some though words.
“I like competing,” he said.
SO YOU KNOW
The statewide results of the spelling bowl will be posted at noon today at www.iasp.org
Click on the academic competitions listed under Department Headings, then look for Competition Results at the top of the page
Recent Local News
Related Photos
-
Staff photo by C.E. Branham
-
Staff photo by C.E. Branham
Discussion
SUPER SPELLERS: Borden Elementary hosts statewide spelling contest
- Recent Local News
-
-
SWEET TREAT: Volunteers see the attraction of annual Starlight Strawberry Festival
-
Board chair: Parks district best solution for New Albany and Floyd County
Mayor Jeff Gahan’s veto of a new parks deal between the city and county was upheld earlier this month by the New Albany City Council. While the Floyd County Council agreed to still pay an additional $100,000 toward the parks department for the remainder of the year, the city and county remain under a prior agreement that led to funding discrepancies in the past.
-
THE 'V' WORD: SUB: Prosser Career Education Center moves away from stigma of ‘vocational’ school
- TARC sets Memorial Day and Kennedy Bridge route changes
- Indiana man releases hostages, fatally shoots self
-
Vietnam veteran receives medals 46 years after active duty ends
- More travelers to hit the road this Memorial Day weekend
-
Pence talks bridges, jobs during Southern Indiana swing
“I think everyone senses with the recent bridges agreement, the potential for extraordinary growth,” said Mike Pence, a U.S. House member who is seeking to replace Gov. Mitch Daniels and retain the gubernatorial seat for the Republican Party.
- Police: Gunman has hostages in Indiana realty office
-
Delaware woman dies in I-65 crash
-
Collingsworth Family to perform at Silver Heights Retreat Center in New Albany
The Collingsworth Family will be making a return trip to the Silver Heights Retreat and Camp Center in New Albany on Thursday, June 7.
-
Clark County approves self-insurance plan
Clark County Insurance Agent-of-Record Diane Swank presented health insurance renewal options at the council meeting Monday, but the county’s fiscal body decided to recess its meeting in order to review a proposal to move the county to a self-insured plan.
-
New theater directors at NAHS and FCHS ready for their programs
As the curtain falls on the careers of the teachers who put the theater programs of Floyd Central and New Albany high schools on the map, the new blood coming in have big hopes for the programs they’re taking over.
-
Jeff to start enforcing insurance ordinances
A 2004 ordinance that dictates how much city retirees pay for health insurance – ignored for years by Jeffersonville officials – looks like it will now be enforced.
-
Top Gun showing Saturday at the New Albany riverfront
In honor of Memorial Day, the city of New Albany will show the movie “Top Gun” on its new 40-foot screen at the Riverfront Amphitheater Saturday.
- More Recent Local News Headlines
-
