The Haines School’s decision to hold a spelling bee but not fund the winner’s travel to state appears to be an anomaly in Southeast, where districts either hold the bee and fund the travel or don’t hold the competition at all.
School districts in Skagway, Petersburg and Craig fund their winners’ travel to the state bee in Anchorage.
Craig’s elementary and middle school principal Jackie Hanson said the district in past years has held a joint bee with Klawock’s school, called the “Island Bee.” Klawock pulled out this year, but Craig decided to continue.
“We’re going to pay for the kid (to go to state) regardless. We need to support academics with our children,” Hanson said.
Metlakatla and Cordova don’t hold spelling bees. Metlakatla elementary school principal Bart Mwarey said the bee was canceled about six years ago because of a lack of time.
Wrangell’s elementary school holds a local spelling bee, but doesn’t participate through the National Scripps Spelling Bee and therefore isn’t eligible to send the winning student to state.
Haines school board member Sara Chapell last year pushed to have the school district cover costs for the district’s bee champion to travel to Anchorage for the state bee. Chapell this week said she wouldn’t “fall on my sword” to maintain district travel funding.
“I still think (the bee) is important but I think the enthusiasm has been pretty successfully dialed down for the spelling bee in this town, and I haven’t heard anybody else coming forward to say they would support it, or any organization wanting to pitch in and get the (champion) there,” Chapell said.
Chapell said the district recently drafted guidelines to provide matching funds to help students in activities pay for travel to state, but she acknowledged that might still be difficult for the spelling bee champion.
“In a situation like this, it’s challenging because a speller qualifies (for the state bee) late in the game, and it’s just one person doing the fundraising,” Chapell said.