Junior and Senior Spelling Bees Coming Up!
Junior Spelling Bee: Wednesday, February 7 at 4:30 pm
Senior Spelling Bee: Wednesday, February 21 at 4:30 pm
(2/7/18) Curious young spellers invited! The Junior Spelling Bee is for students under age 9. It is a more casual, low pressure beginners’ bee to celebrate the fun of spelling. The two finalists from the Junior Bee will be invited to participate in the Senior Spelling Bee.
(2/21/18) Strong spellers are encouraged to join us for this spelling bee which is a “school level” contest for in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The Compass winner will advance to the Fairfax County spelling bee in March 2018. The Senior Spelling Bee is for students ages 9 and above.
Both bees are open to area homeschoolers regardless of whether or not they take classes at Compass. See eligibility and details below:
Junior Spelling Bee Contest Details:
The Junior Bee will be held on Wednesday, February 7, starting at 4:30 pm. Participants will be asked to gather at 4:15 pm, and the bee will begin at 4:30 pm. Ending time will vary based on number of participants (5:15-5:30 pm?).
The Junior Bee will be for students under age 9 using past Scripps spelling word lists. The bee will be a slightly less formal structure to get kids comfortable spelling in front of a small audience.
The contest will be oral questions and responses with one pronouncer and one judge.
The top two spellers from the Junior Bee will be invited to participate in the Scripps Senior Bee two weeks later on Wednesday, February 21.
Senior Spelling Bee Contest Details:
The Senior Bee will be held on Wednesday, February 21, starting at 4:30 pm. Participants will be asked to gather at 4:15 pm, and the bee will begin at 4:30 pm. Ending time will vary based on number of participants (6:30 -7:00 pm?).
The Senior Bee will be for students age 9 and older plus the two qualifying Junior Bee Spellers.
The contest will be oral questions and responses following the format, rules, and guidelines of the national Scripps Spelling Bee program.
The Compass Senior Bee champion will be invited to participate in the Fairfax County Spelling Bee in late March.
General Bee Details/Location:
Registration is ongoing! See the Store tab of the Compass website to sign up!
Entry fees are collected to offset the cost of school registration. $10.00 for Compass students; $15.00 for non-Compass students. (*A Compass student is one who has been enrolled in a Compass class in 2017-18.)
All bees will be held at 2705 Hunter Mill Road in Oakton on the Compass campus.
Eligibility:
Homeschooled students under age 15* and under can participate in the Senior Bee. *A student must be under age 15 as of August 31, 2017 to participate. (i.e., birthday 9/1/2002 or later).
This contest is open to all homeschooled students from northern Virginia, regardless of whether or not they take classes at Compass!
This contest is also open to Compass students* who reside in Maryland, West Virginia, and/or Washington DC. Homeschooled students from these areas who do not attend Compass classes cannot be accommodated and are encouraged to find or organize bees in their own area.
A student may compete in only one local Scripps bee and cannot “shop” around by participating in more than one homeschool spelling bee.
More Information:
An optional “Bee Basics” information session will be held for first time participants and their parents on Wednesday, February 7, at 9:00 am, in Room 1 at Compass.
Practice Suggestions:
All registered participants will receive an e-mail with practice words lists.
Visit spelling practice websites such as Word Central and Spell It
Watch YouTube videos (with your parents) YouTube videos of past national spelling bees
Watch bee-related movies (with your parents) bee-themed movies such as Spellbound or Akeelah and the Bee.
Read!
