City Room™ - Education - Chicago's Kid Spellers Face Off at an Old-Fashioned Bee

10:00am		BBC Newshour

11:00am		The Story

		View Schedule

There are many ways to support public radio.

Submit

Events

2.9.2010	Sweet Home Chicago Seminar: Classic Candy
2.9.2010	Bookstore Owners Talk Business
View full calendar

Submit

City RoomTM Public Affairs coverage from our award-winning staff

Chicago's Kid Spellers Face Off at an Old-Fashioned Bee
Produced by Linda Lutton on Friday, March 20, 2009

The final three spellers. (WBEZ/Linda Lutton)

Seventy top spellers from across the city packed a school gymnasium to try their luck at words like mercerize, gauche, and douane.

SPELLER: CAN I HAVE THE DEFINITION PLEASE?

Family members and principals spelled along in their heads and quietly urged students on from metal folding chairs. There were tears and good tries. When fifth grader Simon Ricci missed “chaplain,” it was Kira Gallancy’s to lose.

PRONOUNCER: NOMINATIVE.
KIRA: Nominative. N-O-M-I-N-A-T-I-V-E. Nominative.
PRONOUNCER: We have a winner!

Kira, a sixth grader at Lincoln Elementary, took home an unabridged dictionary as one prize. She’ll represent Chicago at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

Related: Audio slideshow of event