On April 6, Dallas Independent School District (DISD) announced that eighth-grader Lindsey Roberts will be the only student representing the district in this year’s national spelling bee. The 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee will take place on June 2 in Washington, D.C.
According to a DISD press release, Roberts, from W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy, was one of the two highest-placing students in the 64th Annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee.
Jesus Rodriguez, an eighth-grade reading and language arts teacher at Greiner, was not surprised by Roberts’ performance.
“She’s bright and really good at writing and really shines with her work and performance in my class,” Rodriguez said in the press release. “She’s very communicative and vocal and a very active reader, and even helps me spell words sometimes. Those are building blocks to develop good vocabulary skills and excel in English class, and it’s really no surprise to me that she’s able to come this far.”
According to Roberts, she has been an avid reader for her entire life, and she placed seventh in her elementary school’s Spelling Bee when she was in second grade. This year, she was able to achieve her goal of earning gold.
“I feel like I’m naturally good at spelling because I read a lot,” Roberts said. “I’ve been studying the list of words that Scripps provided. I find the words in dictionaries to learn about those that I’m not familiar with and to get a better grasp on spelling. I’ve been learning about the roots of words and about the different languages where they originate to find common spelling patterns.”
DISD invited Dallas Sports Commission representatives, DISD’s RLA Department staff, school personnel, and others to celebrate her victory. According to the press release, the top two participants are receiving an all-expenses-paid trip to D.C. for the national competition this summer, courtesy of Southwest Airlines and the Dallas Sports Commission.
Monica Paul, the executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, stated, “The Dallas Sports Commission is passionate about supporting our community in everything we do. One of the most impactful ways we’ve found to do that is through the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to champion young students in North Texas, and it naturally encourages the students to stay engaged with their education.”
The commission partnered with Scripps in 2017 to create the Annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee. Qualified students must be in the eighth grade or lower and have won their local county or school spelling bee.
Greiner’s librarian, Alison Criner, organizes the school’s event each year, according to the press release. Criner facilitates the spelling bee and leads the spelling club.
“Reading language arts, the school library, words — it all goes together, and I just enjoy doing it,” she said. “Through a Spelling Bee competition, students experience public speaking and learn how to behave in an academic competition. We also practice every word, which teaches them vocabulary. The better you can read and write, the easier some jobs will definitely be.”
Roberts will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., on June 2.
