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Boyce Middle School

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2023 Boyce Spelling Bee

The Upper St. Clair Parent Teacher Council and Boyce PTO are happy to announce that the annual Boyce Middle School Spelling Bee will be held Thursday, January 26, 2023, in the Boyce Theater at 3:30 p.m.

Due to the large number of interested students, there is a mandatory spelling pre-test scheduled for Monday, January 9, 2023, held during the last period before school dismissal. This pre-test will determine the 20-30 finalists who will qualify for the Bee on January 26th.

Any and all currently enrolled 5th and 6th grade Boyce students are eligible to participate in the pre-test and Bee. If interested in this fun and educational event, please register your child using this Google form. The deadline for registration is Monday, December 26, 2022, and spellers may only be registered for the pre-test and Bee using the Google form.

PRE-TEST

Registered students will take a written spelling test of 20-25 words selected and administered by Mrs. Husak, Boyce Librarian, during the last homeroom period on Monday, January 9, in the Boyce Cafeteria. Mrs. Husak will grade the tests, and the 20-30 students with the best scores will advance to the Bee. Everyone whose child participates in the pre-test will be notified with the results that evening at the email address provided during registration.

Please note if the school building is closed January 9 due to weather, there is a back-up pre-test scheduled for the following day, Tuesday, January 10. A delayed start on either day will not affect the pre-test.

SPELLING BEE

Mrs. Husak will serve as pronouncer and volunteers will serve as judges. Parents and siblings are welcome to attend and will be seated in the audience. Please note if the school building is closed January 26 due to weather, there is a back-up Spelling Bee scheduled for the following week, Thursday, February 2, 2023, in the Boyce Theater at 3:30 p.m. A delayed start on either day will not affect the Bee.

Boyce Middle School is enrolled in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program. The Bee follows the traditional Scripps format of numbered rounds continuing until one speller remains and they correctly spell the final word in a final round. Each speller is given a word to spell out loud with a definition/sentence for context. If spelled correctly, the speller advances to the next round. If spelled incorrectly, the speller is eliminated from the Bee at that point unless every other participant in that round misspells as well. In that instance, the competition would resume in a new round for everyone. Participants may start over with the recitation of their spelling as long as they have not indicated the end of their turn by repeating their word. We will have a practice round at the beginning of the Bee and ensure that each participant understands the format.

The top five finishers will be presented trophies, and the 1st place school champion will have the opportunity to advance to the Western Pennsylvania Regional Spelling Bee in February 2023. All participants will receive a certificate.

The official Scripps School Spelling Bee Study List is attached and may be used as a study guide for the Bee. Please note in the first phase of the Bee, spellers will be given words selected by Scripps from this Study List and those words will be utilized until exhausted. For the second phase of the Bee, spellers will be given words selected by Scripps from Merriam Webster Unabridged, which they will not have the opportunity to study in advance. The official Scripps Spelling Bee Rules are also attached for your reference.

The parent/guardian contact information provided on the Google form will be used for all Boyce Spelling Bee communication. If you have any questions about the Bee or issues with the Google form, please contact Yao Zhang, Boyce Spelling Bee Chair, at boycespellingbee@gmail.com. If you have any questions about the Scripps Spelling Bee program or rules, please contact Sarah Cranganu, USCPTC Spelling Bee Chair, at uscsdspellingbee@gmail.com.