When Yasmeen Harris-Youngblood first got involved in Victor H. Hexter Elementary School’s spelling bee 11 years ago in Dallas, she was aware that students had previously been hand-picked for the competition each year. Her first order of business as coordinator: Create an accessible spelling bee. 

“I made sure there was a way for every kid to do it if they wanted to,” she said. “We invited other grades to come and watch. We made it a really big deal. From then on, it became something that kids aspired to. We changed the culture here. I knew what that opportunity could do for a child.”

Indeed, Harris-Youngblood knew firsthand.

She was hand-picked for her school’s spelling bee in seventh grade in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She remembers her English teacher putting up a congratulatory pink banner in her classroom with names of three students who were top 10, including Harris-Youngblood’s.

The banner stayed up all year and served as a powerful motivator to Harris-Youngblood, who said she felt like there were new academic expectations for her.

“It was that visibility that made me a better student,” she said. “It made me focus on school. My English teacher, Miss Matthews, never knew what that did for me. That left a huge lasting impression on me.”

This is the second school at which Harris-Youngblood has become involved in the spelling bee. Her team works hard to make its bee an event that everyone in the school is excited about and makes the spellers feel special. Participation has increased 200% since she took over.

It is her 19th year in education. She was a fifth-grade teacher at her school until 2024 when she became campus librarian.

Fellow teacher Sandra Byler wrote in her nomination form that Harris-Youngblood is a champion for literacy at the school, adding: “She has unlocked a legacy of belief, showing every student at our school that their intelligence is a source of power and that greatness is well within their reach.”