2012 American Library Spelling Bee

The Winners!

Summer 2011...the Bee is Born!

As with all projects, the Spelling Bee came into being when an idea – a desire to increase the American Library’s presence in the wider community – benefitted from a fortuitous meeting of individuals – the Librarian, Julia Arnold, and two parents, Caroline McKoen and Sheila Doucet. What more compelling place to begin than with the basic building block of books – a contest surrounding words! The “Friends of the American Library” immediately stepped in to support the effort in the person of Dagmara Berztiss. We were soon joined by Judi Weston to complete the

organizing committee, which became known as “The Hive”. The concept was finalized to fulfill three concordant goals: • to increase awareness of the

library’s activities • to foster cooperation among the

English- and German-speaking communities

• to spark interest in words – and books! – among children

Victoria Steckham (l) and Sabrina Dörr (r) with their awards and medals.

Spelling Bee Fast Facts: 93 Participants 31 Finalists 14 Schools 23 Nationalities 8 Mini-Bee school demonstrations 2 Bake Sales 120 Attendees at the movie "Akeelah and the Bee"

© 2012 Brought to you by Sheila and Dagmara V.i.S.d.P.: Freunde der Amerik. Bibliothek Karlsruhe e.V., Postfach 2446, 76012 Karlsruhe

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"Students who improve their spelling,

vocabulary and reading comprehension are

already Grand Prize Winners!”

Who: Students aged 9-12 and 13-15 in the greater Karlsruhe area. Participants competed as individuals. All skill levels were encouraged to join the fun. What: The American Library Spelling Bee

• Round One: a preliminary written test (20 words from the age appropriate word list + 5 bonus words)

• Round Two: an oral final contest The words in Round One and the initial rounds of the oral Final were drawn from a WORD LIST – 300 age appropriate words published on the web page. All students – regardless of their level – were thereby ensured of having an equal opportunity to shine. Registration: The registration cost per participant was 5 euros. Round One: The preliminary written test was taken in February 2012 either at the library or proctored by a teacher at the student's school. The written tests were corrected twice and the best students in each age group were invited to take part in the oral final. Final: The Final was held Saturday, March 17, 2012 at the American Library. Prizes: For each age group, three top prizes were awarded:

• Third Prize: Amazon gift certificate (30 euro) • Second Prize: Amazon gift certificate (50 euro) • Spelling Bee Grand Prize: i-pod Touch (8GB)

All Finalists, excluding prize winners, were also eligible for three randomly drawn consolation prizes: one pair of theater tickets donated by the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe and two 10 euro Gift Certificates from Thalia bookstore.

The Concept

Over 50 teachers and school administrators were contacted announcing the Bee and inviting them and their students to accept the challenge! Although the Bee is an individual activity, teachers were seen as a critical link to their students. Teachers were invited to download the words – and, if desired, to

October: Launch to Teachers

incorporate the words into their lesson plans. The teachers were also offered the opportunity of having native English speakers come to their classrooms to explain the Spelling Bee concept. The entire effort was designed with the needs of both native speakers and advanced English language learners in mind.

The Hive (from l to r): Dagmara, Sheila, Julia, Judi and Caroline.

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The official Bee launch occurred at the “Friends of the American Library in Karlsruhe, e.V.” bi-annual Book and Bake Sale on November 12, 2011. Information was distributed, the concept was explained and ... our first candidates were registered. Thanks to the “Friends” for their tasty, fanciful baked goods!

November: Bee Launch at the Friends Book and Bake Sale

Spelling Bees are an iconic component of American school life. However, because many children – and teachers – might not be familiar with the spelling bee concept, during the months of October and November teachers and students were offered the chance to witness firsthand what a spelling bee entails. A group of native English speakers conducted a total of eight “Mini-Bees” involving more than 150 students. Homophones were presented because, although sometimes tricky, they are within the grasp of both mother-tongue English speakers and second language learners.

Mini-Bees

In each class, two teams were created to introduce the idea of a friendly competition. Honey candies were distributed to all participants, questions answered and promotional materials handed out. Participating schools were:

• Heisenberg Gymnasium, Karlsruhe - Grade 9

• Heisenberg Gymnasium, Ettlingen - Grades 6 & 8

• Lise-Meitner-Gymnasium, Königsbach-Stein - Grade 6

• European School Karlsruhe - Grades 5 & 6

• Max-Planck-Gymnasium, Karlsruhe - Grade 7 (x2)

"Mini-Bee" at the GS 5E class European School, Karlsruhe

aisle, isle The bride walked down the aisle to the altar.

There are many uninhabited isles in the Australian seas. allowed, aloud

Smoking is not allowed in this restaurant. The teacher asked the student to read aloud from the textbook.

ate, eight We ate spaghetti for dinner last night.

School begins at eight o’clock. bare, bear

I like to walk on a beach in bare feet. I saw a grizzly bear at Yellowstone Park.

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An amply furnished and regularly updated website (http://www.expat-karlsruhe.com/spelling-bee), postcards (2000), posters (100), handbills, handouts, information sheets, souvenir pencils... a wealth of event specific materials were developed over a five month period.

Promotional Materials

Painting the Town Gold

... including the library

All these efforts paid off – 93 students enrolled in this first ever event. Students from fourteen different schools in the Greater Karlsruhe area – stretching from ISF in Frankfurt to The European School in Strasbourg – participated.

Registration forms, movie flyers, postcards, handouts, posters.

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Three hundred words for each age group! What a daunting task – first selection and review. Then definition, pronunciation, part of speech, use in a sentence, and word origin – for 600 words. Many thanks to the numerous Busy Bees – located from as far afield as San Francisco, San Diego and London to New York and Melbourne – who

lack·a·dai·si·cal

adj ������������������

lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid

Origin: from the archaic interjection lackaday + -ical.

The boss did not approve of his lackadaisical approach to his job. Feeling particularly lackadaisical in the summer heat, they lazily tossed a ball back and forth.

Synonyms: enervated, listless, languid, languishing, languorous, limp, spiritless Antonyms: ambitious, animated, energetic, enterprising, motivated

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

volunteered a moment of their precious time to help in this critical step. Thanks to our Word Master for compiling, enhancing and organizing the lists. Thanks to our proofreaders who reviewed the words and sentences.

If each child has familiarized him/herself with as few as two new words, our cause has been won because…

“The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the smarter you grow. The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice When speaking your mind or making your choice »

–- Anonymous

Akeelah and the Bee On Saturday, January 28, 2012 – thanks to a generous grant from the American Consulate, Frankfurt – a free showing of the film “Akeelah and the Bee” occurred at the “Studio 3” theater in Karlsruhe. The event, with over 120 people in attendance, was upbeat and generated interest in the community at-large. It should be noted that one Gymnasium teacher

brought her entire second language English class. Another Gymnasium teacher and three of his students acting as “Junior Reporters” conducted an audience opinion poll and wrote a movie review. Both judges attended, and several students registered for the Bee following the movie. A good day was enjoyed by all!

The W-O-R-D-S!

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Round One: The Written Test Ninety-three students from 14 different schools registered for the Bee: • Eichendorff Gymnasium

(Ettlingen) • European School, Karlsruhe • Ecole Européenne de Strasbourg • Freie Waldorfschule (Karlsruhe) • Goethe Gymnasium (Karlsruhe) • Heidelberg International School • Heisenberg Gymnasium

(Ettlingen) • Internationale Schule Frankfurt -

Rhein - Main • Kurfürst Friedrich Gymnasium

(Heidelberg) • Max-Planck-Gymnasium

(Karlsruhe) • Realschule Linkenheim • St. Dominikus Gymnasium

(Karlsruhe) • Thiebautschule (Ettlingen) • Thomas-Mann-Gymnasium

(Stutensee) Students could take the written Round One either at the library or in their school if the class had more than three students enrolled in the Bee or if the school was located outside of the immediate vicinity of Karlsruhe. Round One at the American Library took place during 7 different sessions

in February and was proctored by volunteers. Many of the proctors remembered their own experiences in past Spelling Bees and were excited to have the tradition continue. Each student received a Certificate of Participation and official "American Library in Karlsruhe Spelling Bee" pencil.

Three schools availed themselves of the option to have Round One in their school. We were thereby able to accommodate a large number of students who might otherwise have been unable to participate in the Bee. A complete package of materials sent to our proctors included the Official Word List, answer forms, a Certificate of Participation for each child, a souvenir pencil, honey bonbons and our official poster. The International School of Frankfurt Rhein-Main (ISF) even created its own Spelling Bee event by showing the movie, “Akeelah and the Bee” after taking the written exam. Results: In the 9-12 age group there were 19 perfect scores and even two with all 20 words plus the five bonus words perfectly spelled. In the 13-15 age group, one speller had a perfect score of 20 words correctly spelled.

Round One participants with Certificates at the European School in Karlsruhe.

Our 31 Finalists represented 14 different nationalities from 6 schools. Familiarizing oneself with 300 words is no easy task – and being poised on stage spelling those words took courage. In recognition of this, special applause for all Finalists was formulated in a specially formatted

letter and each participant received a personalized photo taken during the Bee Final. The final 3 Place Winners earned a specially crafted Award Certificate (signed by the Karlsruhe Mayor of Culture and the librarian), a medal and, of course, their special prizes.

For the Finalists

Award Certificate and Medal for Place Winners

Letter congratulating Finalists for their excellent work.

Personalized photo of Finalist.

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In the Press

The Honeycomb: Our Newsletter In order to foster interest in The Bee, a newsletter was launched. The idea was to feature Bee related news topics and, whenever possible, to collaborate with a panel of students. To that end, our first issue featured a Junior Reporter interview of one of our judges, in which she shared her childhood memories of her 9th grade, school-wide spelling Bee. In February, a workshop on “How to Write a Movie Review” at the Heisenberg Gymnasium, Ettlingen was the basis for the newsletter. Three students attended the “Akeelah” showing and contributed their review to “The Honeycomb”.

The March edition featured ISF (International School of Frankfurt, Rhein-Main), a school which organized an intra-school “Spelling Bee” event. After the ROUND ONE preliminary round, the students enjoyed watching “Akeelah and the Bee”. Our post-Bee feature presented the 2012 “Top Spellers” and launched the “Wacky Word” Challenge. Students were asked to select their favorite “Wacky Word” from the word list, use it (correctly!) at school and share their experiences with the rest of the Bee community.

Karlsruher Kind, Januar 2012, pp 20

On the Web: www.expat-karlsruhe.com/spelling-bee http://kalender.karlsruhe.de/kalender/db/termine/kultur/sonstiges/buchstabierwettbewerb_american_library_spelling_bee.html http://www.karlsruhe.de/b2/bibliotheken/zweigstellen/amerikanische_bib/veran_amerika http://www.esk-eltern.de/de/category/archiv/american-library-karlsruhe-spelling-bee-come-join-fun http://www.toytowngermany.com/lofi/index.php/t239732.html

Badische Neueste Nachrichten, Montag, 19. März 2012

Ettlinger Heisenberg-Schüler beim Auftakt des englischen Buchstabierwettbewerbs "Spelling Bee" der American Library Karlsruhe Geschrieben von: Jens Olbertz published on: http://www.hbg.ka.bw.schule.de/neuer/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=198:ettlinger-schueler-beim-auftakt-zum-wettbewerb-qspelling-beeq&catid=37:schuljahr-201112&Itemid=132

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From l to r: The judges, Dr. Viginia Teichmann and Dr. Karen Adams-Rischmann, the Word Master Laura Russell, the Master of Ceremonies Edward Gauntt and our Queen Bee Julia Arnold.

March 17, 2012: The Spelling Bee Final! The American Library was the place to be as proud families and enthusiastic supporters cheered Finalists who matched wits, prowess, and spelling strategies.

Triple S Rule

Say it Spell it

Say it

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The three top spellers in the 13-15 years of age group: 1. Sabrina Doerr, European School of Karlsruhe 2. Thomas Dobbertin, Max-Planck-Gymnasium, Karlsruhe 3. Jenya Yurkova, Ecole Européenne de Strasbourg

The top three spellers in the 9-12-year old group: 1. Victoria Steckhan, European School of Karlsruhe 2. Sophie Kristensen, Ecole Européenne de Strasbourg 3. Elisabeth Julien, Ecole Européenne de Strasbourg

Winning Words 13-15 year olds 3rd place: nomenclature 2nd place: profligate 1st place: feign

Winning Words 9-12 year olds 3rd place: gentrification 2nd place: equilibrium 1st place: tantalize

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THANK YOU!

Sponsors Our special thanks to the US General Consulate Frankfurt and the Department of State: Public Affairs for their generous financial support. Thanks to Carolin Zarske of Zarske Design who created our charming Bee logo, poster and awards. Our Internet presence was superbly established and maintained by expat-karlsruhe.com for which we are very grateful. The Stadtbibliothek Karlsruhe provided the premises for the Bees, and helped with public relations and postage for which we are thankful. The "Friends of the American Library Karlsruhe e.V." were very supportive in logistical matters as well as providers of delicious baked goods! Thank you all!

Final thoughts If you would be interested in helping coordinate the 2013 Spelling Bee, are willing to donate prizes, act as a sponsor or have any other ideas, please contact us at: SpellingBeeKA@yahoo.de.

We look forward to seeing you next year!

The 2012 American Library Spelling Bee – the first of its kind – was an all-volunteer event. We are grateful to those who dedicated many hours in making this event a success.

The Bee Hive:

Sheila Doucet: Co-Chair, Lead Writer, Mini-Bees, Assistant Word Master, The Honeycomb, Junior Reporters, Photography

Dagmara Berztiss: Co-Chair, Administration, Media Relations, Formatting and Presentations, Assistant Word Master, The Honeycomb

Caroline McKoen: Webmaster, Mini-Bee Coordinator, Sponsor Contact, Assistant Word Master, Surrogate Mom at the Bee

Judith Weston: Mini-Bees, Community Recruitment, Assistant Word Master

Julia Arnold: Sponsor Contact, Media Relations, Mini-Bees, Queen Bee

Dr. Virginia Teichmann and Dr. Karen Adams-Rischmann Judges

Laura Russell Word Master

Edward Gauntt Master of Ceremonies

Norma Lahmeyer, Barbara Sinnemann, Elizabeth Doerr, Rebecca Gardiner Selina Kenny, Sheila Doucet, Janice Fawcett, Judith Weston, Pam von Hirschfeld Round One Monitors

and the bakers and baked goods sellers, furniture movers, proofreaders (German and English), good idea givers, photographers,...

Our most important thanks go out to our faithful S-P-E-L-L-E-R-S!