Northern regional spelling bee buzzes back to the Phil

By Jan-Mikael Patterson
Navajo Times

SHIPROCK – Wah, said Ezekiel Atene after misspelling “destitution” at the Northern Regional Spelling Bee.

The audience chuckled as Atene, 11, a sixth grader at Atsá Biyáázh sat on the sideline after the sixth-grade competition’s second round.

Six regional schools sure made the Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center all the “buzz” during the Navajo Times/Office of Diné Youth’s Northern Navajo Regional Spelling Bee Competition on Thursday.

This competition is the first spelling bee competition since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is my first year putting all of this together,” said Lynn Bia, the prevention specialist at Shiprock ODY. This is her second year on the job. Since school closures prevented the bee from taking place, area schools competed under the start competition.

“I’ve put on other events, but this is the first time doing the spelling bee,” she said. Bia had a month to prepare and organize the competition.

“We anticipated 15 students, the initial competitors that registered but this morning we were told that two more schools would be entering the competition,” she said.

As the busses started rolling into the parking lot the lobby of the center was filled with excited competitors with Atsá Biyáázh students stuck out by wearing the same spelling bee T-shirt.

Chaperones tried to maintain some order, but the lobby was just filled with excitement.

The schools that competed are Atsá Biyáázh Community School, Judy B. Nelson Elementary, Tsé Bit’ą’í Elementary, Mesa Elementary, Newcomb Elementary, Elementary, Kirtland Elementary, Kirtland Middle School, and Northwest Middle School.

In total, 34 students participated.

Eight fourth graders began the competition, going six rounds until Russell Weber, 10, of Mesa Elementary won by spelling “scandium” to win the fourth-grade championship. Atsá Biyáázh student Lila Ayala, 9, earned runner-up with “Albuquerque.”

“I wanted to try out for the spelling bee,” Weber said. “This is my first time (competing), so I was curious. I was nervous at first but after the practice round I felt better about competing.”

Next up were nine, fifth graders who competed two rounds with Anden John, 10, of Nizhoni Elementary winning by correctly spelling “pipette.” Runner-up honors went to Winona Yazzie, 11, of Mesa Elementary, who spelled “Boba” correctly.

“I thought (the judges) would use the list of words that was given to us,” said Ezekiel Atene, disappointed because he studied the list he was given for the past two weeks.

There were six competitors for the sixth-grade competition that went nine rounds. Atsá Biyáázh student Logan Bedah, 12, took the championship. His first attempt to win in the seventh round, he misspelled “Macedonia.” When a competitor is the only one left and they misspell the anticipated championship world they go back in rotation with the previous contenders and begin a new round until one is left standing to spell the final word correctly to win. On his second attempt he correctly spelled “Palomino.” On his third attempt he won with “Delta.”

Payton Mckinley, 12, of Judy B. Nelson, earned runner-up.

Seventh grade champ Brycsen Pino, 12, of Northwest Middle School won with the word “acclaim” in 5 rounds. Michaela Begay, 12, won runner-up with the word “occupancy.”

Five eighth graders rounded out the last of the competition in three rounds with Kaibah Jones, 13, of Northwest Middle School, winning with the spelling of “surplus.” Mariah Lee, 14, also of Northwest Middle School, earned runner-up.

The master of ceremony duties was handled by Zane James of Western Skies Community Care in Albuquerque.

Judges for the competition were head judge Chantz Samuels, the recreation coordinator for Chinle Office of Diné Youth; Christopher Schnieder, an attorney for the Department of Justice in Window Rock; and Jeff Holtsoi, the Shiprock Fire lieutenant.

James IronMoccasin of Atsá Biyáázh Community School, read the rules and Delta Higdon served as the bailiff for the competitors. Nyssa Thomassen of Kirtland Central High School was the pronouncer.

Bia is now anticipating the next competition. Organizing this year’s event bolstered her confidence in running another successful “bee.”

Contest winners from all regional bee competitions will be competing in Fort Defiance at the Office of Dine Youth on March 21, 2024, to determine who will compete at the Scripps National Spelling in Washington, D.C.

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