The Iva Walker Auditorium was filled with anticipation and excitement on Friday, December 19th, as over 30 students took the stage for the Middle School Spelling Bee during the Winter Celebration. This year's competition marked a special milestone—for the first time, the middle school made a connection to the elementary school for this event by opening the bee to 6th graders, creating a cross campus community event.
Competing in a spelling bee requires a unique kind of bravery. Standing alone at the microphone in front of the entire student body, hearing an unfamiliar word, and having just moments to process it, spell it aloud, and hope you got it right—that takes serious guts and courage. Every single participant demonstrated remarkable poise under pressure, and their willingness to put themselves out there deserves our admiration and respect.
The competition was intense, with words growing increasingly challenging as round after round narrowed the field. Students drew on their vocabulary knowledge, language patterns, and sometimes just their best instincts to tackle words that would make most of us reach for a dictionary.
When the final bell rang, three champions emerged:
1st Finalist: Thomas Parbel (6)
2nd Finalist: Olivia Hall (8)
3rd Finalist: Sophia Ellison (8)
These three outstanding spellers will represent Garfield at the Regional Spelling Bee, which will be held right here in the Iva Walker Auditorium on Friday, February 14th at 9:00 am. Mark your calendars to come support them as they compete against the best spellers from across the region!
A huge thank you to all the participants who showed incredible courage by stepping onto that stage, and to the Middle School ELA Department for organizing this wonderful celebration of language and learning. Your dedication to providing these meaningful opportunities for our students makes all the difference! It was a great afternoon to be a G-Man!
Go G-Men!