NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Dozens of kids in grades 4 through 8 competed Saturday to be the top speller in the state.
Quinnipiac University hosted the Connecticut Spelling Bee. 63 kids from all over the state who won local spelling bees in their school districts competed, spelling words like “cafeteria” and “character.”
There were more than 400,000 words that could have been included in the spelling bee, so kids had to do more than just memorize. They had to understand word origins and patterns to figure out how to spell each word.
“There’s a lot that goes into it, a lot of studying,” said Beth Larkins-Strathy, Associate Dean of the Quinnipiac University School of Education and event emcee. “When they get in front of the audience it gives them a sense of accomplishment and poise. It’s good. It’s really good for students.”
Eighth-grader at Granby Memorial Middle School, Dwaritha Ramesh, won the spelling bee and will go on to represent Connecticut in the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland in May.
