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Havasu students represent

Today's News-Herald
Published Tuesday, January 31, 2012 9:18 AM MST

Special congratulations to Faith Mendoza, Trey Kalauli and Shelbie McDonald for placing, respectively, first, second and third in the Mohave County Spelling Bee in Kingman Jan. 27. The community joins the youngsters’ parents, teachers and schools in sharing pride in the students’ considerable accomplishments.

Being a good speller is not a quick or easy skill to learn. The English language is complicated and can be downright ornery to master. For every spelling “rule,” there are a dozen words that contradict it. Memorization, a strong grasp of root words and above average reading skills all contribute to a student being able to reach a higher level of literacy development.

The adults who influenced the students also deserve a tip of the hat. Teaching a child how to become a good speller is to give a child a gift that will serve him well all of his adult life. Being a perfect speller is an invisible skill. Done right, it escapes notice. But when spelling is done poorly, the writer risks not being taken seriously. Good spelling — and its cousin, sloppy sentence structure — quickly separates the men from the boys. Many a lost opportunity can be traced to a lousy cover letter.

This was the second year in a row that Faith Mendoza won the county’s spelling bee. We wish her continued success as she advances to the state level, participating in the Arizona competition on March 23.

— Today’s News-Herald

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Comments (1 comment(s))

AllanJC wrote on Jan 31, 2012 2:49 PM:

" Change 'language' to 'spelling' and i couldnt agree mor (sic) with this paragraf:
'Being a good speller is not a quick or easy skill to learn. The English language is complicated and can be downright ornery to master. For every spelling “rule,” there are a dozen words that contradict it. Memorization, a strong grasp of root words and above average reading skills all contribute to a student being able to reach a higher level of literacy development.'
Students (and adults!) who hav the attributes to enable them to master these skills deserve every commendation.
But lets not forget those who ar not so well endowed in the memory and language areas, and presently liv lives of frustration and embarrassment because of illiteracy.
They could be helped greatly to overcome these handicaps if we upgraded our spelling 'system' so that it aided them instead of hindering their best efforts. Our spelling needs repair! "

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