WHITE PLAINS, Md. – Azeez Akindele will go down in Billingsley Elementary School history for being the champion of the school’s inaugural Spelling Bee. The third grader, clad in a shirt depicting a sunglasses-wearing bulldog riding a skateboard, correctly spelled “infamous” in the 23rd round of the contest to clinch the title. Marrkan Girum, a fifth-grade student who came in second, cheered for Akindele’s victory and gave him a gracious, celebratory handshake. Fourth grader Suravi Shrestha placed third in the Bee. While the top three finishers received trophies, all 30 students who participated received a Spelling Bee medallion.
Billingsley teachers of third, fourth and fifth grades were able to nominate 10 students per grade to take part, Principal Sabrina Robinson-Taylor said. Students with strong reading and writing skills were asked to participate and could turn down the opportunity if they didn’t want to.
Robinson-Taylor thanked the contestants for their participation and praised them for their skill and courage. While parents and family members watched the Bee in person, the contest was livestreamed on YouTube to Billingsley classrooms.
Robinson-Taylor and Meighan Hungerford, director of elementary education for Charles County Public Schools (CCPS), were the contest’s pronouncers asking students to spell words like “empower,” “humility,” “vivacious” and “endure.” Melinda Jacowski, reading resource teacher, Layla Harrison, first-grade teacher, and Ashley Mangalindan, math interventionist instructional assistant, served as judges. Music teacher, Bill Cusack, oversaw the livestream and Kaprena Camp, school librarian, helped Robinson-Taylor organize the Spelling Bee.
That was so cool good job guys.
i am rj and this is cool