| OCR Text |
Show Davis County challenged to reconsider procedures Dear Editor, ' I have been disappointed that the Davis County School District does not participate fully in the state spelling bee sponsored annually by the Deseret News. Though they always send a district winner to the state bee (the winner win-ner of a small district bee made up of only junior high winners), our district docs hot dtow elementary school winners to participate in toe district bee, thereby denying approximately 46 young people the privilege and experience experi-ence of participating in a district bee, and the opportunity of possibly going 1 to a state or national bee. i , .. , Many " reasons" nave been presented to me in response to my inquir-' inquir-' ies: (1) It would take too many people to staff a larger bee, (2) Elementary and junior high students don't mix well, (3) They can't decide where to have it at an elementary school or a junior high school, (4) "Nobody . . needs those words anyway-they're too difficult,' ' and (5) "Children don't need that much competition," and (6) "The junior high kids always win anyway.' r It is my opinion that all of the above are excuses and not in the bcsttatereacfOOTdiildren r I feel that the Davis County School District has discriminated against dementary school children who have worked hard and prepared themselves them-selves to defend their spelling skills at a district bee, and that the district : has declined to carry out die full intent of the Deseret News Spelling Bee . . Rules which statet "The Utah state spelling bee is open to students in . fourth through eighth grades." - Of the 38 spellers who will participate in the Deseret News State Bee on . April 7 at Eisenhower Junior High School, eleven of the district winners ' are in fifth or sixth grade. Of course, elementary students can participate and succeed! But in Davis County they don't have the chance. Davis County School District is noted for its progressive education and for the high caliber of its students. I challenge the district and the PTA to reconsider their procedures regarding the state spelling bee. Surely this matter has been overlooked in years past and should be corrected before another year goes by. :. The National Geographic Society has just this year instituted a National Geography Bee. Students in grades four through eight in about 300 Utah schools are now competing across the state m jweliminary rounds. More than 100 students from throughout Utah competed in the Utah finals on April 7 at Salt Lake Community College. To my knowledge Davis County r - is not participating. When our society has recently realized such a dearth of . knowledge in the field of geography, I should think this would be another fine event with which to become involved. :-r. ....-. . ' Carolyn Y. Hunsaker |
