Valley Stream 24 hosts Scripps Spelling Bee

Students from all schools within the Valley Stream 24 School District recently put their spelling skills to the test in the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition.  The winners and runners-up at each school have earned the opportunity to advance to the next level of the national competition, which involves taking an online test to qualify for the regional spelling bee.

Superintendent of Schools Unal Karakas expressed pride in the students’ efforts, saying, “We’re incredibly proud of all our students who enthusiastically participated in the spelling bee.  They dedicated themselves to rigorous preparation, learning essential strategies and skills along the way.  We’re also thrilled for our first and second place winners as they move forward in the competition.”

Students collaborated closely with their teachers and families to prepare for this event, expanding their vocabulary and applying classroom strategies.  The competition not only tested their spelling abilities but also deepened their understanding of the meanings and applications of challenging words, some even at a high school level.

Here are the winners from each school:

Brooklyn Avenue School:  Fourth-grade student Shannon Reece and fifth-grade student Kailyn Arroyave tied for first place.

Robert W. Carbonaro School: Fifth-grade student Linval Frazer secured first place, while fifth-grade student Nathalie Pantangan took second place.

William L. Buck School: Fifth-grade student Jake Marlborough emerged as the first-place winner, and sixth-grade student Ava McIntyre secured second place.

The district extends its congratulations to all these talented students and wishes them the best of luck in the upcoming rounds of the competition.