It turns out a steady heart and a sweet snack might be the secret ingredients to spelling success.
Two Scottsdale Unified middle schoolers walked away as champions last week at the district’s annual spelling bees, each holding their own under pressure and in front of an auditorium full of peers, teachers, and proud families.
On January 23, Tonalea Middle School eighth grader Fabian Marquez Rodriguez took top honors at the Spanish Spelling Bee after a nail-biting face-off with Cheyenne Traditional School’s Addison Fineberg. The competition stretched 15 rounds, with Fabian clinching the win by correctly spelling llave, the Spanish word for key.
“It’s my first time, so I was like really nervous,” Fabian said. “I was like, ‘What am I going to do?’” He credits his teacher, Ivan Chango, with nudging him to give it a shot. “I need my high school Spanish credit,” he added with a laugh.
Next fall, Fabian is headed to Coronado High School. He’s thinking about joining the marching band, even though he hasn’t picked an instrument yet. “I think it would be fun to play at football games,” he said.
Mr. Chango couldn’t be prouder. “Fabian is a hardworking student who not only excels academically but alsodemonstrates remarkable dedication to his violin studies,” he shared. “His commitment to his passions is inspiring.”
The very next day, 24 students from across SUSD’s elementary and middle schools returned to the same Coronado High stage for the district’s English-language Spelling Bee. It was another marathon, stretching 15 rounds before sixth grader Landry Bruyere from Ingleside Middle School took the title.
His final word? Astringent. But it was consternation in Round 14 that nearly tripped him up.
“My heart rate was a constant 150,” Landry admitted. “But I felt prepared.” His advice for future competitors was simple: “Definitely read through the list. Just read through it, and right before the Spelling Bee, eat madeleines.”
His mom, Rachel Bruyere, smiled at that. “He’s always liked to read and has a large vocabulary, always asking what words mean,” she said. “So it’s not super-surprising he did well, but he’s worked really hard to get here.” She added that Landry spellchecks her writing regularly.
Joining Landry at the Region II Spelling Bee on February 11 will be fellow finalist Trystan Zapfe from Cheyenne, along with Redfield Elementary fourth grader Aydon Morales and fifth graders Brynne Tadano (Desert Canyon), Isabella Giovando (Yavapai), and Jack Loback (Kiva).
From there, the stakes get higher. The top speller will move on to the Arizona State Spelling Bee on March 15 in Phoenix. And from that event, the final two winners will go on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May.
The SUSD Foundation covers registration costs so students can participate in this celebrated tradition, which turns 100 years old this year.
In 2019, one of Scottsdale’s own, Desert Canyon’s Omkar Bharath, earned a spot on the national stage. And maybe, just maybe, one of this year’s students will follow in his footsteps.
