Eric Dong
Seventh-Grader at Beckendorff Junior High
Katy ISD has its spelling bee W-I-N-N-E-R for the 2021-22 school year! Congratulations to Beckendorff Junior High seventh-grader Eric Dong for advancing to the Houston Public Media (HPM) Spelling Bee to compete against spellers from school districts around the Houston-Metro area.
On February 14, Dong, along with Abdelrahman Sayed, who will serve as the backup contestant, were identified as the District’s top two spellers out of a field of 57 student participants from across Katy ISD. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, this year’s competition once again consisted of an online exam instead of an oral dictation of words among students.
“Spelling bee competitions are more than just spelling words. Participants spend countless hours learning definitions, pronunciations and roots of thousands of words,” said Karen Muller, Director of Katy ISD Elementary Curriculum & Instruction. “We are proud to have two Katy ISD learners earn such a respected recognition,” added Muller.
Abdelrahman Sayed
Eight-Grader at Katy Junior High (Back-up Speller)
The HPM Spelling Bee will be held via Zoom, with Round One consisting of an online test containing 25 spelling questions and 25 vocabulary questions. The top finishers, about 15 spellers, from the Round One online test will advance to the HPM Zoom Bee. Only two spellers from this tournament will advance to the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee, scheduled to take place between May 29 and June 3 in National Harbor, Maryland.
We wish all spellers an A-D-V-A-N-T-A-G-E-O-U-S competition!
