South Dakota News Watch
MITCHELL — Paul Lloyd-Davies fondly remembers his first and only participation in a spelling bee. The 72-year-old was in middle school at Sacred Heart Elementary in Aberdeen and entered the …
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MITCHELL — Paul Lloyd-Davies fondly remembers his first and only participation in a spelling bee. The 72-year-old was in middle school at Sacred Heart Elementary in Aberdeen and entered the contest on a whim.
"They started slinging the words out and it narrowed and narrowed until there was this gorgeous brainiac in the class and me. We went a few rounds and we got to a word I think was volcano," he said, recalling that he believes he added an "e" on the end.
"And, boom, I was out of it."
Lloyd-Davis, who worked in several journalism jobs and for the U.S. Forest Service during his career and is retired in Great Falls, Montana, said he never did anything like it again, despite being a voracious reader and doing phonics flash cards at the direction of his mother.
But the experience gave his young, introverted self a boost of confidence and helped him overcome what today would be considered a learning disability.
"I got this incredible sense of skill and accomplishment and worth out of ending up in that final round with her," Lloyd-Davies said of his schoolmate. "To go against what I would consider one of the most talented girls in my class gave me a lot of positive esteem."
On Saturday at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, 30 elementary and middle students from schools around the state will have the same shot at such an experience when they compete in the South Dakota State Spelling Bee.
The winner will advance to the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington where they will vie for the Scripps Cup during the 100th anniversary year of America’s longest-running educational competition.
South Dakota News Watch, Dakota Wesleyan University and the South Dakota Humanities Council are sponsoring this year's state bee at a time when many schools no longer require spelling tests as part of the curriculum.
That's unfortunate, said Tressa Wede, assistant professor of education at DWU, who teaches two courses related to reading and writing.
"Spelling is more than just memorizing words," she said. "It helps students understand that words are made up of distinct sounds that can be blended, segmented and manipulated.
"It is a key component of reading instruction that helps students decode words by applying spelling patterns and letter-sound correspondences. Through phonics, learners develop the ability to read and spell unfamiliar words, leading to greater reading fluency and comprehension."
Spelling bees support those skills by helping students recognize spelling patterns and understand etymology and morphology, which helps them understand word structure and meaning, Wede said.
While school curriculums change, the Scripps National Spelling Bee reaches millions of students globally with the classroom materials it provides to schools enrolled in the yearlong program.
Participation in regional bees also provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in public speaking, develop confidence and inspire a love of learning and connection with their peers.
Schools sending a student to the state bee
This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they're published. Contact Carson Walker at carson.walker@sdnewswatch.org.
