The 2024 Vermilion County Spelling Contest will get underway next week.
Some of the words on this year’s list that the junior high school students could be spelling: algorithm; extraterrestrial; narcissus; supersede; senile; exonerate; icicle; pylon; carbohydrate; derivatives; proofreader; commemorative; preposterous; rambunctious; analogy; fracas; and cauliflower.
According to Assistant Regional Superintendent Courtney Dudley, it’s been that time of year again when students throughout Vermilion County have formed spelling teams to gear up for the Vermilion County Spelling Contest.
The sectional rounds are scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, March 4, at Salt Fork South, for Salt Fork, Georgetown, Westville and Schlaman teams, and at Oakwood Grade School, for Oakwood, Hoopeston and Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin student teams.
The spelling contest finals are set to take place at 6 p.m. March 7. The top two teams from each sectional advance to the finals.
The public is welcome to attend, Dudley said.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to compete academically. It has been a long tradition for our Regional Office of Education to organize this event. We look forward to being a part of it every year,” according to Dudley.
Sponsors for the spelling contest are the Vermilion County Regional Office of Education and Commercial-News.
According to the spelling contest rules, matches consist of four quarters with a two-minute break at the quarters and a five-minute break at the half.
No speller is eliminated if he/she misses a word. Each of the four spellers on a team will spell for one quarter (15 words in sectional and 18 words in the final competition).
There will be three judges, two scorekeepers/timers. A point is scored for the team on each correctly spelled word. The team having the highest number of points at the end of the match is the winner.