Spelling Bee

Behind-the-Scenes of the witf Central PA Spelling Bee

2013-04-17T17:34:01Z

“Exhilarating… fun… competitive.” Just a few words spellers used to describe the 2013 witf Central PA Spelling Bee. For the fourth year in a row, witf produced the event, which was held at the Public Media Center on February 24, 2013.

The bee touches the lives of many Central PA middle school students. In 2013, 150 students from 66 schools in central Pennsylvania qualified to participate in the written bee, which was held at the witf Public Media Center in January of 2013. The students who scored highest on the 100-word test qualified to participate in the oral spelling bee.

In addition to an event for the friends and families of the spellers — the oral bee is also a television production. Over the span of a week, the Greenwald Television Studio at witf is transformed into a spelling bee set complete with lights, cameras, microphones and seating for a 70-member audience.

In 2013, the oral spelling bee lasted 19 rounds. It was silent in the studio after Krittika Negandhi, a seventh grader from Good Hope Middle School in Cumberland Valley, misspelled the word “facilely.” The only speller remaining on stage, Aparajita Rao, looked confident and serious as she stood on stage poised to spell what would be the winning word at the 2013 witf Central PA Spelling Bee. Inside, the seventh grader from St. Joan of Arc School in Hershey was actually a ball of nerves.

“It’s a lot of luck and I didn’t really know that I’d be this lucky,” she said in an interview following the bee. Although Aparajita still appeared quite serious during the interview, a smile escaped the corners of her mouth, giving her excitement away.

Don’t forget to follow the witf Central PA Grand Champion Speller, Aparajita, in the Scripps National Spelling Bee! She’ll be speller number 210.

Winners of 2013 Central Pennsylvania Spelling Bee announced

2013-02-24T01:33:19Z

witf is proud to announce the winners of the 2013 Central Pennsylvania Spelling Bee, held at the witf Public Media Center on February 23, 2013.

Grand Champion - Aparajita Rao, St. Joan of Arc School, Hershey
2^nd Place - Krittika Negandhi, Good Hope MS, Cumberland Valley SD
3^rd Place - Devin Yeatter, Big Spring MS
4^th Place - Kaitlyn Galliher, Susquenita MS
5^th Place - Rohan Rashid, Conewago Valley IS
6^th Place - Faith Harron, Lamberton MS, Carlisle Area SD
7^th Place - Olivia Ramsey, Swatara MS, Central Dauphin SD
8^th Place - Jasmine Deitz, Northern Lebanon MS
9^th Place - Dusty Martin, Shippensburg Area MS
10^th Place - Kevin Ballentine, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD

Aparajita Rao, this year's Grand Champion, will travel to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area in the spring.

You can watch the contest on witf TV, Sunday, February 24 at 5 p.m. with rebroadcasts on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 1 at 1pm.

witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is supported by The Hershey Company, The Kline Foundation and Volvo Construction Equipment.

Videos: Learn more about contestants in Central PA Spelling Bee

2013-02-19T16:45:25Z

Thirty-six top Pennsylvania spellers are advancing to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee on February 23.

We interviewed some of the finalists to learn more about them. Watch their responses in the videos below. The full list of finalists can be found here.

What word got you last time?

Do you have any pets?

People are suprised when they find out...

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Competitors continue until only one speller remains. That Grand Champion will then travel to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area in the spring.

You can watch the contest on witf TV, Sunday, February 24 at 5 p.m. with rebroadcasts on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 1 at 1 p.m.

witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is supported by The Hershey Company, The Kline Foundation and Volvo Construction Equipment.

Quiz: Can you spell the words on the 2013 Central PA Spelling Bee written test?

2013-02-04T16:41:53Z

About 150 spellers representing 66 schools from 10 counties in central Pennsylvania gathered on January 27 and took a 100-word written test at the witf Public Media Center in Harrisburg..

Thirty-six of the top spellers are now advancing to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee on February 23. While competing onstage at the witf Public Media Center. These spellers will rely on their hours of studying and understanding of a word’s origins to avoid the dreaded bell signaling they are wrong and out.

Below is a quiz consisting of words taken from the 2013 written test. Do you think you can spell as well as these students? See if you can pick the correctly spelled word from the four options!

View a list of finalists for the Central Pennsylvania Spelling Bee here.

You can watch the contest on witf TV, Sunday, February 24 at 5 p.m. with rebroadcasts on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 1 at 1 p.m.

witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is supported by The Hershey Company, The Kline Foundation and Volvo Construction Equipment.

Finalists for 2013 Spelling Bee Announced

2013-02-01T19:21:18Z

About 150 spellers qualified, representing 66 schools from 10 counties in central Pennsylvania. They all gathered on January 27 and took a 100-word written test at the witf Public Media Center in Harrisburg..

Thirty-six of the top spellers are now advancing to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee on February 23. While competing onstage at the witf Public Media Center, these spellers will rely on their hours of studying and understanding of a word’s origins to avoid the dreaded bell signaling they are wrong and out. The finalists for 2013 witf’s Grand Championship Spelling Bee are:

Aleah Alderson, Mt. Carmel Area JSHS
Kevin Ballentine, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD
Anne Baskwill, York Suburban MS
Alex Byrne, Central York MS
Jacob Chadwell, Infinity Charter School
Jasmine Deitz, Northern Lebanon MS
Katie Dudding, St. Joseph School, Mechanicsburg
Derek Etter, Red Lion Area JHS
Tessa Flanagan, Palmyra Area MS
Kaitlyn Galliher, Susquenita MS
Grace Gilbert, Lower Dauphin MS
Gloria Givler, Camp Hill MS
Harshita Gupta, Good Hope MS, Cumberland Valley SD
Faith Harron, Lamberton MS, Carlisle Area SD
Taylor Haupt, Eagle View MS, Cumberland Valley SD
Kara Kohler, Lemoyne MS, West Shore SD
Jin Hyung Lee, Tuscarora JHS, Juniata County SD
Abby Madar, Mechanicsburg MS
Sara Malina, Linglestown MS, Central Dauphin SD
Dusty Martin, Shippensburg Area MS
Sarah Martin, Greencastle-Antrim MS
Matthew Miller, Greencastle-Antrim MS
Krittika Negandhi, Good Hope MS, Cumberland Valley SD
Ashley Phillips, Selinsgrove Area MS
Olivia Ramsey, Swatara MS, Central Dauphin SD
Aparajita Rao, St. Joan of Arc School, Hershey
Rohan Rashid, Conewago Valley IS
Noah Ryan, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD
Lauren Silver, Linglestown MS, Central Dauphin SD
Mara Smeltzer, Gettysburg Area MS
Katie Stoak, Linglestown MS, Central Dauphin SD
Edward Trippett Jr., Central York MS
Laura Weiss, St. Joseph School, Mechanicsburg
Gabe Wisniewski, Middletown Area MS
Madeline Wolfe, Palmyra Area MS
Devin Yeatter, Big Spring MS

Quiz: Can you spell the words on last year's Central PA Spelling Bee written test?

Thank you to all the spellers who participated in the written test and congratulations to all who are advancing!

Competitors continue until only one speller remains. That Grand Champion will then travel to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area in the spring.

You can watch the contest on witf TV, Sunday, February 24 at 5 p.m. with rebroadcasts on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 1 at 1pm.

witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is supported by The Hershey Company, The Kline Foundation and Volvo Construction Equipment.

How to share your experience at the Central PA Spelling Bee on social media!

2013-01-21T21:27:30Z

Social media networks such as Facebook,Twitter and Instagram are great ways to share your experience at the Central PA Spelling Bee.

Written test results will be posted to http://www.witf.org/spelling-bee/ in the week following the event. We encourage you to share the results and your photos from the event with your friends and family on your social networks.

We would also love to see your photos from the event! Just post them on our Facebook wall or use the hashtag #witf on your photos on Instagram.

If you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #spellingbee and include @witf in your Tweet, and we will retweet you.

Quiz: Can you spell the words on last year's Central PA Spelling Bee written test?

2013-01-17T17:44:16Z

The written portion of the Central PA Spelling Bee will be held at the witf Public Media Center on Jan. 27. The participants will be made up of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students who won their individual school’s spelling bees.

This year, more than 60 schools registered to participate from 10 surrounding counties. The students who score highest on the 100-word written test will advance to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee, which will take place at the witf Public Media Center on Feb. 23 and will be televised at 5 p.m. Feb. 24, 7 p.m. Feb. 27, and 1 p.m. March 1 on witf.

The quiz below includes words from last year's written test. Do you think you can spell as well as these students? See if you can pick the correctly spelled word from the four options!

When you are done taking the test, share your results in the comments below, if you dare! You may also want to challenge your friends to take the test by sharing it on Twitter and Facebook. See which of your friends spell the best!

witf Central PA Spelling Bee returns

2013-01-11T21:16:00Z

There are more than 470,000 words in the latest Webster’s Dictionary and its addenda section. It’s hard to imagine reading through all of those words, but many students admit that’s how they prepare for witf’s 4th annual Central PA Spelling Bee.

The written portion of the contest will be held at the witf Public Media Center on Jan. 27. The participants will be made up of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students who won their individual school’s spelling bees. This year, more than 50 schools registered to participate from 10 surrounding counties. The students who score highest on the 100-word written test will advance to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee.

The 2013 Grand Championship Spelling Bee will take place at the witf Public Media Center on Feb. 23 and will be televised at 5 p.m. Feb. 24; 7 p.m. Feb. 27; and 1 p.m. March 1 on witf. There can only be one winner at the Grand Championship Bee and that speller will move on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee held near Washington, D.C.

Last year, Katie Dudding (shown), a student from St. Joseph’s Middle School in Mechanicsburg and the champion of witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee,graced the stage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Dudding correctly spelled both words she received in the preliminary rounds of the national bee but did not qualify for the semifinals.

Abuzz with Spelling

2012-06-25T23:41:09Z

S-e-r-e-n-d-i-p-i-t-o-u-s.

That's how Joanna Ye, the 2010 and 2011 Champion of witf's Central PA Spelling Bee and two-time Scripps National Spelling Bee contender, sums up her Bee experience.

"It was kind of a happy accident that I was ever even involved in it. In sixth grade I never would have thought I would make it national. In seventh grade I wasn't even really Trying," Ye recalls.

Ye is a freshman at Carlisle High School. She was born in China and her family moved to Iowa when she was 18 months old. In 2005, the family made the move to Carlisle. Ye’s father, Yunshan Ye, is a research librarian at Johns Hopkins University. Her mother, Caiyun Zhao, is a nurse. “I’ve always been pretty good at spelling. I’ve read a lot of books. If it’s something that I’m good at I might as well try to go all the way with it against some of the best spellers around.”

The spellers come from middle schools from 10 surrounding counties. After winning their individual school bees, they’re invited to participate in a 100-word written test at witf. The top spellers from that test become the contenders in witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee, which is broadcast on witf. The stage at this bee is smaller than the one the winner will grace at the national bee, but Ye claims the experience prepared her for what was to come.

“It really helped having a stage and having it televised. That prepared me for standing up in front of a lot of people,” Ye recalls.

Preparing for witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is not something she took lightly.

“I wanted to try and do my best, but I wasn't sure how far I would actually make it. I stayed at home a lot, studying words instead of going out and hanging out. I knew that if I took it seriously, something was going to come out of it,” says Ye.

The 15-year-old was crowned champion in 2010 at witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee with the correct spelling of “livelihood,” meaning a means of support or subsistence. In 2011, she extended her reign by successfully spelling “scalene,” meaning having three sides of unequal length. After winning two years in a row, Ye noticed a change in the way people treated her.

“A lot of people were reaching out to me and asking questions. Usually a lot of people talked to me, but a lot more talked to me,” she recalls with a chuckle. “I liked that people were asking me questions about the spelling bee, but now that it’s died down I can talk about normal things instead of always the spelling bee.”

It’s a feeling Katie Dudding, the 2012 winner of witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee, can relate to.

“Everyone wants to be my friend now. I think they like it that I spell well,” she says.

Katie, a seventh-grader from St. Joseph’s Middle School in Mechanicsburg, found it weird watching herself on TV. “We watched it at home and when it was on again we watched it at school. I didn't really want to watch it again. I felt like seeing it once was enough.”

But, this 12-year-old’s TV experience had only just begun. She and 277 other spellers would go head to head in front of the cameras at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The National Bee began in 1929 with the collaboration of nine local newspapers. In 1941, Scripps became the sponsor of the bee. Since the beginning, there have been 87 champions. Of the champions, 46 have been girls and 41 have been boys. The bee has been broadcast on TV off and on since 1946, and consecutively since 1994. Currently, the Scripps National Bee is broadcast live in primetime on ESPN.

In 2011, witf followed Joanna Ye through her journey at the Scripps National Spelling Bee held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center near Washington, D.C. It’s like the Super Bowl for spellers. From the moment you walk into the hotel everything is b-i-g, from the Gaylord’s 18-story glass atrium to the words. The place is littered with TV cameras, reporters, security and adoring fans looking for spellers’ autographs. Past champions who are in attendance are regarded as celebrities. It’s enough to make even the most confident of spellers take a deep breath.

“It really depends on the person,” recalls Ye. “I was trying to stay positive and upbeat, but I think it would be easy to sit by yourself and think about words. It’s also pretty crazy. People will want you to sign their bee keeper. I didn’t get back to my hotel until about midnight because of all of the interviews and autographs and photos.”

In preparation for the national bee, many spellers admit to reading the dictionary and its addenda section. Some have a special technique for spelling on stage, like writing out the word with an imaginary pencil on their arm. Others may choose to spell the word out with staccato-like form.

“When I’m up there, I just let my mind go completely blank and I focus on the spelling. I don’t rush at all. I think I try to stay focused. If I’m taking a really long time, I know that I don’t know it. That’s why it kind of frustrates me when people stand up there for like two minutes. I don’t try to milk every second,” Ye says with a laugh.

During the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Ye tied for fifth place. She correctly spelled words such as brachygraphy, pinetum, rocaille and hypotrichosis to tie for third in 2011.

Ye’s age will prevent her from qualifying for the spelling bee again. This year she has shifted her focus from spelling to the flute. So far, she has played in the youth symphony, county band, county orchestra and district band. She’s also playing varsity tennis and she’s on the freshman class council.

For those who still have another shot to spell their way to the top like seventh-grader Dudding, Ye suggests taking it all in.

“I would tell her to just enjoy. Enjoy the whole experience for what it is. This is something not a lot of people can experience in their lives. If you do really well, then you deserve it. But even if you don’t, you’re still one of the best spellers in the world,” says Ye.

Dudding spelled “chassis” and “megahertz” correctly on stage in the preliminary round at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, but she didn't capture a high enough score on the written test to advance to the semifinals. Only the top 50 spellers out of 278 contestants advanced to the semifinals after the written test. She plans to try again next year. “I don’t really know. Sometimes I feel like I could make it really far and other times I don’t,” says Dudding. “I just want to keep trying and see how far I can get.”

While Dudding envisions another spelling bee in her future, Ye has her sights set on college. “I actually want to be a dentist now. I want to study evolutionary biology in college. It’s just something I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life,” she says.

One thing’s for sure, while she probably doesn't need it, this spelling bee champ still plans to use spell-checker on her college applications. “I do, just because sometimes my fingers can’t keep up with my brain,” Ye said with a laugh. But, sometimes spell check can be pretty annoying because I use words that it doesn't recognize as words. So I have to just add it to the dictionary.”

IMAGES FROM TOP LEFT:

Joanna Ye, 2010 and 2011 winner of witf's Central Pennsylvania Spelling Bee, onstage at the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Central PA students participate in a 100-word written test at witf in hopes of qualifying for witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee;

Katie Dudding is announced champion of witf’s 2012 Central PA Spelling Bee.

The stage at the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee, held at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center near Washington, D.C.;

Scripps National Spelling Bee Champ Announced

2012-05-31T20:42:16Z

Congratulations to the winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Snigdha Nandipati! Snigdha is an 8th grader from San Diego, California. Her winning word was guetapens - which means to ambush, snare, trap.

Here is a link to the words Snigdha spelled. http://go.witf.org/biV7N

Dudding Competes at National Bee

2012-05-30T18:39:34Z

Katie Dudding, the champion of witf's Central PA Spelling Bee, correctly spelled both words she received in the preliminary rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee but did not qualify for the semifinals. Out of 278 spellers, only the top 50 scoring spellers move forward to the semifinals. Spellers receive one point for each word they spell correctly during the Round One Test and then three points for each word they spell correctly during the preliminaries, for a maximum possible score of 31.

Katie is a seventh grader at St. Joseph Middle School in Mechanicsburg. She plans to try again next year.

“I don’t really know. Sometimes I feel like I could make it really far and other times I don’t,” says Katie. “I just want to keep trying and see how far I can get.”

Witf would like to congratulate Katie on her spelling success! We look forward to seeing her and wish her the best of luck during the 2013 witf Central PA Spelling Bee!

A Scripps National Spelling Bee champion will be determined Thursday night when the championship finals air live on ESPN from 8pm until 10pm.

Learn more about the 50 semifinalists!

Learn more about Katie and the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Competition Schedule

Preliminaries
Wednesday, May 30

Round Two: 8:00 – 11:45 a.m. EDT
Watch live on ESPN | Play along

Roun

d Three: 1:15 – 5:15 p.m. EDT
Watch live on ESPN | Play along

The Announcement of Semifinalists will immediately follow the conclusion of Round Three and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Semifinals
Thursday, May 31, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Live on ESPN2
Watch live on ESPN | Play along

Championship Finals
Thursday, May 31, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. EDT
Live on ESPN
Watch live | Play along

Dudding is Grand Champion Speller!

2012-02-29T20:48:58Z

Congratulations to Katie Dudding! She is the winner of the witf Central PA Spelling Bee! She will now move on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee near Washington, DC.

Katie is a seventh grader at St Joseph’s Middle School in Mechanicsburg. Katie loves to read. Her favorite book is The Capture by Kathryn Lasky. When Katie isn’t reading she likes playing the clarinet, skiing and listening to music. Or, you might find her playing with her Lab, Bodie.

Don’t forget to watch Katie when she competes nationally at the Scripps Spelling Bee! Her speller number will be #209.

Photos: Central PA Spelling Bee written test

2012-02-18T02:47:03Z

On January 29th, about 150 students from 67 schools took a 100-word written spelling test at the witf Public Media Center. Here are a few snapshots from the day!

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Thirty-four students scored high enough on the test to qualify to participate in the televised bee which will take place at the Public Media Center on February 25th. Good luck spellers!

Local spellers advance to Grand Championship Spelling Bee

2012-02-03T18:00:00Z

About 150 spellers representing 67 schools from 10 counties in central Pennsylvania took a 100-word written test at the witf Public Media Center on January 29.

Thirty-four of the top spellers are now advancing to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee on February 25. While competing onstage at the witf Public Media Center, these spellers will rely on their hours of studying and understanding of a word’s origins to avoid the dreaded bell signaling they are wrong and out. Find out who the lucky spellers are below.

Spellers advancing to Grand Championship Spelling Bee:
Parris J.A. Alleyne, West York Area MS/SD
Rebecca Boltz, Northern Lebanon MS/SD
Danielle Buckingham, Central Dauphin MS/SD
Max Cherepinsky, Susquehanna Township MS/SD
Benjamin Chu, Central York MS/SD
Christine Croll, Northern Lebanon MS/SD
Katherine Mary Dash, Good Shepherd School, Camp Hill
Jasmine Renee Deitz, Fredericksburg ES, Northern Lebanon SD
Katie Dudding, St. Joseph's School, Mechanicsburg
Cecilia Fitzgerald, Tuscarora JHS, Juniata County SD
Rachel Anita Gelfand, Red Lion Area JHS/SD
Frankie Haver, Eagle View MS, Cumberland Valley SD
Jack Knowles-Kellett, Gettysburg Area MS/SD
Samantha Kunkel, Allen MS, West Shore SD
Nicole Lang, Harrisburg Area Homeschool Association
Bojan Lazarevic, Allen MS, West Shore SD
Aneesha Maini, Lemoyne MS, West Shore SD
Jennifer McKee, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD
Krittika Negandhi, Good Hope MS, Cumberland Valley SD
Madeleine Nesbitt, York Suburban MS/SD
Ryan Nguyen, Swatara JHS, Central Dauphin SD
Veronica Ponti, Central Dauphin MS/SD
Olivia Ramsey, Swatara JHS, Central Dauphin SD
Aparajita Rao, St. Joan of Arc. School, Hershey
Noah Ryan, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD
Caitlin Salomon, South Eastern MS East, South Eastern SD
Harrison Scott, Greencastle-Antrim MS/SD
Tiffany Sterling, Susquehanna Township MS/SD
Gavin Turtu, Tuscarora MS, Juniata County SD
Benjamin Ulrich, Lamberton MS, Carlisle Area SD
Tyler A. Villegas, Infinity Charter School, Harrisburg
Veronica Werner, Mechanicsburg MS/SD
Meghan Williams, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD
Madeline Wolfe, Palmyra MS/SD

Thank you to all the spellers who participated in the written test and congratulations to all who are advancing!

Competitors continue until only one speller remains. That Grand Champion will then travel to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area in the spring.

You can watch the contest on witf TV at 6 p.m. February 26 with rebroadcasts at 8 p.m. February 29 and 1 p.m. March 2.

witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is supported by The Hershey Company, Shippensburg University, The Kline Foundation and New Cumberland Federal Credit Union.

Quiz: Can you spell as well as a middle school student?

2012-02-01T00:35:19Z

About 150 middle school spellers representing 67 schools from 10 counties in Central Pennsylvania took 100-word written test at the Public Media Center on January 29, 2012. About 36 of the top spellers who took the test will advance to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee on Feb. 25. The winner of that contest will then travel to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area, in the spring.

Do you think you can spell as well as these students? The quiz below is composed of words that were on the written test. See if you can pick the correctly spelled word from the four options!

You can watch the contest on witf TV at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 with rebroadcasts at 8 p.m. Feb. 29 and 1 p.m. March 2.

witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is supported by The Hershey Company, Shippensburg University, The Kline Foundation and New Cumberland Federal Credit Union.