Fourth and fifth grade students in the Fred W. Hill School gathered in the school’s cafetorium for the 20th Annual Spelling Bee, held on Tuesday, April 25 through Thursday, April 27.  

A total of 46 students took a chance and competed on stage between the fourth and fifth grade competitions. Everyone who competed took a risk to develop their talent and learned valuable lessons along the way.  

“The event isn’t about the students’ ability to spell,” Fourth Grade Teacher and Spelling Bee Coordinator Christopher Albrecht explained. “It’s about preparing students to act under pressure and providing them with a safe space to succeed or to fail.”  

The competitors go through five sessions of coaching prior to the competition focusing on etiquette and the rules of the competition.  

“We are proud of all of our participants,” Albrecht said. “It doesn’t matter if you came in last or in first, what matters is you tried and you learned.”  

The finalists invited their families to Hill School to watch them compete in the final, championship round. 

Fourth-grade finalists included Kaden, Lucy, Giuliana, Mattingly and the 2022-23 4th Grade Champion Aaron. 

The fifth-grade finalists included: Ben, September, Joey, Noah and the 2022-23 Fifth Grade Champion, Aydan.

“This spelling bee would not happen if we didn’t have the support of the wonderful individuals in this school,” Albrecht said. “We would like to thank the Hill School PTSA for donating the money needed to purchase the t-shirts and the Hill School Store “Pencils Plus” for donating the dictionaries.”  

We’d also like to acknowledge the Spelling Bee Committee for hosting another successful bee this spring: Mr. Albrecht, Mr. Broughton, Mrs. Casper, Mrs. Colby, Miss. Combo, Mrs. Hoenk, Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Mangan, Ms. Norment, Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Shannon, Miss Spagnola, Mrs. Squillante, Mr. Sullivan, Mrs. Wilson, Ms. Zweibel, and the Fred W. Hill Custodial Staff for your help throughout the week. 

Congratulations to all our spelling bee participants and finalists, and a special congratulations to this year's winners!