Two Big Island Youth In State Spelling Bee

Two Big Island eighth-graders will be in the Hawaii State Spelling Bee this Saturday, March 22, with a chance to represent Hawaii at the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

Hope Kudo of Kealakehe Intermediate School and Christianne Abella of Konawaena Intermediate School are among the 14 finalists who will be competing in the event which will be televised live on PBS Hawaii starting at 7 p.m.

Hope Kudo, 8th grade, Kealakehe Intermediate School

Students will be asked to spell words in a round-robin style format until all other contestants have been eliminated and only one remains. That student must correctly spell one final word to become the champion. Once contestants start to spell a word, they cannot go back and change their order of spelling. One round of vocabulary testing has been added this year to help prepare for the national competition.

A total of 92 schools enrolled in this year’s aio Hawaii State Spelling Bee, breaking the previous record-high number of schools that participated last year.

Christianne Abella, 8th grade, Konawaena Intermediate School.

“We’re proud to continue the spelling bee tradition in Hawaii, giving our youth the tools they need to improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct use of the English language,” said Susan Eichor, President of aio. “Participating in spelling bees yields lifetime benefits for students.”

The 2014 Hawaii state champion and his or her chaperone will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. in May to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Aio is a non-profit organization that supports and develops programs that promote improved health, education and welfare for Hawaii’s children.