The state’s top spellers gather this weekend for this year’s State Spelling Bee.
Students from across Delaware will show off their spelling skills at the Anna Graham Theater at Saint Mark’s High School in Wilmington Saturday starting at 9 a.m.
“We have 74 schools participating throughout the State; all three counties are represented. We have students anywhere from 4th grade through the 8th grade and they have each won their school-wide competition at their own schools. And now they’re representing their own schools and hopefully will also be representing the State in the Scripps National contest in May, said Anne Marie Eanes, Spelling Bee coordinator and chair of Saint Mark’s English Department.
Eanes says this is the 10th year that Saint Mark’s is hosting the State Bee.
She adds Dave Skocik of Dover returns as word pronouncer for the Bee - a role he’s handled since 1991.
Skocik explains why he could not tell us the hardest or strangest word that’s ever been given during a spelling bee.
"I hesitate to do that because I have a list… a confidential list of 500 words, which I get every year and I’m afraid I’d give a word away that winds up somewhere on this year’s list. But believe me, there are multi-syllable words...as we move on from the easy words all the way to the words with five or six syllables,” said Skocik.
The Bee is open to the public but to avoid the potential for distractions, very young children will not be permitted in the theater during the competition.
