Students are preparing for the Spanish spelling bee happening March 6 at Heritage High School. The competition will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with an entry fee of $5 dollars for families and guests to watch.

“To study I usually have one of my friends in classes tell me the words and I have to spell them,” freshman Raaha Sellamuthu said. “I also do self-studying.”

This will be the second year West Shore students will be attending the event. Students from Spanish 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be participating in the spelling bee, and each group will be put into different categories of the competition based on how advanced they are.

“The students check in, identifying their name and school, and then they are sent to their spot in the auditorium,” Spanish teacher Awilda Marti said. “Students will be separated from the teachers and parents. I prepared a packet with all the information and rules they need to know. It includes how they are supposed to spell, how they will request help if they need it and the list of the words.”

Returning students gave advice to Spanish 1 students participating in the spelling bee for the first time.

“They explained to them how it was last year based on their experience,” Marti said. “They went over things to avoid and what to do in order to survive the competition.”

The competition brings back previous competitors to experience the event once again.

 “I thought it was an interesting experience because I had to spell in a language that is not my native language, which I’ve never done before,” Sellamuthu said. “I’m going back as a sense of redemption since I got out on an easy word last year; plus, I had fun.”

Winners in first, second and third place are awarded a trophy of recognition with their names written on a plaque. Marti said she has some critiques about how the spelling bee was organized last year. 

“I noticed [the people running the competition] needed a little more organization,” Marti said. “We had a student who won first place who received a trophy with his name written incorrectly. They were supposed to fix it and send it back, but from what I know, he never received it.”

By Kris Rosa