At the Kansas spelling bee Sterling Hollond (Speller 89) won to get to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, his father said, there were on-stage vocabulary questions -- an echo of the computerized vocabulary questions that were added to last year's preliminary exam.
David Hollond said he sees a lot of value in the addition of vocabulary questions in this morning's computerized test.
"Understanding meaning is as important as spelling," David said. "I actually like the addition of vocabulary. How do people succeed in many, many careers? It's writing."
David said Sterling, a Basehor, Kansas seventh grader competing here for the second time, learned a lot about how to study for the Bee and how to approach the event by coming last year.
Sterling, for his part, said he was already feeling better than he did at last year's competition. There, he was eliminated in Round Three.
But to bone up for this year's Bee, Sterling studied more and started earlier. He reviewed his answers to the vocabulary questions when he had extra time at the end, and changed some of his original answers.
"I'm feeling pretty good," he said after the preliminary test. "It's been a lot of fun."
Jacob George (Speller 205) is also here for the second time. He's hoping to make it to the Semifinals this year -- he's still nervous, even though the preliminary test seemed to go well.
Jacob's an eighth grader in Paoli, Pennsylvania. His mom, Zeena George, said his techniques changed to focus more on vocabulary as he studied, and less on spelling.
"If he knows the etymological information, he can find the meaning of everything," she said. "As parents, we like it."
Zeena said the vocabulary piece will help Jacob study for the SATs.
The Bee's not just about the work, though. Jacob's been telling everyone about the Bee, Zeena said. He couldn't wait to come back.
"It's a great opportunity for everyone," she said. "Anybody who wants to grow, to find a place or niche for them, this is a great place."
