On a cool Thursday evening in early January, the cafeteria inside Barack and Michelle Obama 9th Grade Campus was transformed into an auditorium and decorated with black and yellow balloons. There was a “buzz” of excitement rumbling through the room.
Three trophies adorned the stage where the spelling bee would take place. The gold bee figurines on top glinted in the light, playfully teasing the competitors as they imagined what a trophy would look like displayed in their home.
Families, teachers, and administrators filed into the cafeteria to watch the highly-anticipated Lancaster ISD District Spelling Bee.
Ten competitors lined the stage – taking their seats in front of three judges and the spelling bee pronouncer. Student spellers’ confidence levels were at an all-time high, and all would have the opportunity to step up to the microphone and show off their academic talents.
After seven rounds of competition, one student took the District Spelling Bee Champion title. Christopher Matildo, a seventh-grader from Lancaster Middle School.
“I’m thrilled to be the spelling bee champion this year,” he said after posing for a picture with his championship trophy.
Matildo correctly spelled “luggage” to take home the district honor. He’s no stranger to winning spelling bee competitions; Matildo was also Lancaster Middle School’s campus champion in the fall.
Preparing for spelling bees by focusing on the more challenging words and taking time to study daily is what Matildo believes is his winning strategy.
“I’m excited to be headed to the county spelling bee. But, I want to go further and represent Lancaster at the regional level and hopefully at the National Spelling Bee.”
In October, every Lancaster ISD student in kindergarten through eighth grade participated in their classroom spelling bees. From there, classroom winners compete in campus spelling bee competitions. The winners from the campus spelling bees then advanced to compete in the district competition.
“The Spelling Bee is always a point of pride in Lancaster ISD. Students take pride in demonstrating their skills as they compete with other scholars across the district,” said Walesha Robinson, Academic Coordinator for Lancaster ISD. “The anticipation of watching students compete in such a high academic event with excellence is exciting.”
The Dallas County Spelling Bee will take place in February 2022.
Congratulations to the top three Lancaster ISD winners!
Champion: Christopher Matildo, Lancaster Middle School, 7th grade
Second place: Denisse Cruz, Houston Elementary School, 5th grade
Third place: Dylan Woods, Lancaster Middle School, 8th grade