2023 DC Citywide Spelling Bee Supplement

41st Annual

Spelling

Bee DC City Wide

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

HISTORY OF THE DC CITY WIDE SPELLING BEE

Since 1981, The Washington Informer has officially sponsored the D.C. City Wide Spelling Bee. Dr. Mary E. White, former supervising director, D.C. Public Schools Division of Instructional Services, Department of English, believed it was time for D.C. students to participate in Scripps National Spelling Bee held annually in Washington, D.C. She appealed to Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr., Informer publisher. He agreed that his newspaper should apply.

In prior years, The Washington Daily News sponsored the local spelling bee. Subsequently, when The Washington Star purchased the Daily News, it was decided to discontinue sponsoring the spelling bee. For more than 15 years, the D.C. public, private, and parochial school students could not participate in the national competition for lack of a sponsoring newspaper.

Dr. White solicited support from the Washington Post, hopeful that the publisher would agree to become D.C.’s official sponsor. According to Dr. White, Post officials told her that since the daily newspaper was a regional publication, their sponsorship would have to include both D.C. and suburban Maryland and Virginia. However, at that time, the Journal newspaper chain had served as the suburban sponsor for several years, resulting in the Post refusing to sponsor the bee solely for students enrolled in D.C. schools.

Dr. White then appealed to Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, a friend and supporter of the D.C. Public Schools, president, and founder of the United Black Fund, Inc., and publisher of The Washington Informer newspaper. She hoped he would use his influence to persuade Post officials to sponsor the D.C. spelling bee.

Dr. Rolark volunteered his newspaper instead, a local, weekly, Black-owned community newspaper serving residents since 1964. He engaged his daughter, Denise Rolark, managing editor of The Washington Informer, to assist in coordinating D.C.’s first spelling bee. He believed the Informer was ideally suited to sponsor the spelling bee.

The first citywide spelling bee was held at Backus Junior High School in Northeast in March of 1982. John Krattenmaker, a sixthgrade student at Mann Elementary School in Northwest, was the winner. Dr. Rolark was disgruntled after Scripps denied John’s participation in the Scripps National Spelling Bee held the following May. According to Scripps rules, only daily newspapers qualified for sponsorship, and the Informer was published weekly.

Dr. Rolark, a member of the board of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association for nearly 200 African American-owned newspapers in the U.S., concluded that the national spelling bee’s policy was discriminatory. Since there were no African American-owned daily newspapers in the U.S., Black publications were blocked from sponsorship even in markets where no other publications would sponsor a local spelling bee.

PURPOSE

Scripps, a diversified multi-media compa ny, established the National Spelling Bee to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English that will help them all their lives. Spellers experience the satisfaction of learning language not only for the sake of correct spelling but also for the sake of cultural and intellectual literacy.

The Washington Informer’s participation in Scripps National Spelling Bee helps to further the goals of Scripps in the District of Columbia and to address the issue of illiteracy, particularly among African American youth. “If we want to improve the quality of life for all Americans,” said the late Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, publisher, “then we must begin by teaching our children to read, which they will not be able to achieve until they can learn to spell.”

Dr. Rolark engaged legal counsel from his wife, Attorney Wilhelmina J. Rolark, who informed Scripps of their plans to file an injunction in court that would forbid the national competition to be held in the District of Columbia until the court ruled on the merits of the case. Scripps quickly reversed its policy, and the following year, the national spelling bee winner was sponsored by the Loudon County Times, a weekly newspaper based in Loudon County, Virginia. The Times was the only other weekly newspaper to participate along with the Informer in the national spelling bee that year.

Nearly 4,000 students enrolled in more than 200 D.C. schools, including private, parochial, independent, charter, and home-schools, participate in The Washington Informer DC City Wide Spelling Bee each year. For 36 years, the DC City Wide Spelling Bee was held at the television studios of NBC4. It was taped and later aired for general viewership throughout the Washington metropolitan area.

In 2020, the 38th Annual Washington Informer DC City Wide Spelling Bee was held in the studios of the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment (OCTFME).

In 2021, due to the pandemic, the 39th Annual Washington Informer DC City Wide Spelling Bee was held virtually with students eager to win the citywide title despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the 40th Annual Washington Informer DC City Wide Spelling Bee was held in person, with students returning to OCTFME for the exciting spelling competition.

5 Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Brown and the newspaper’s Advertising Director Ron Burke welcome spellers and viewers to the 41st annual Spelling Bee held in the studio of the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment (OCTFME). (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

3 Director of the Office of Cable Television, Film, and Entertainment LaToya Foster welcomes parents, students, and sponsors to the 41st Annual DC City Wide Spellling Bee. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

Each Speller received a trophy and a Washington Informer gift bag filled with goodies from the sponsors.

2023 PRIZE LIST

First Place Winner:

• First Place Trophy – courtesy of Washington Informer Charities

• Xbox Series S – Gilded Hunter Bundle – courtesy of Microsoft Gaming

• $300 gift Card - courtesy of The Washington Informer and Washington Informer Charities

• Safeway Gift Card

• Hotel stay for the week of The Scripps National Spelling Bee at The Gaylord – courtesy of The Washington Informer and Washington Informer Charities

• Washington Informer swag bag with assorted gifts from sponsors

Second Place Winner:

• Second Place Trophy – The Washington Informer and Washington Informer Charities

• $200 gift Card - courtesy of The Washington Informer and Washington Informer Charities

• Safeway Gift Card

• Washington Informer swag bag with assorted gifts from sponsors

All other finalists:

• Finalist Trophy – courtesy of The Washington Informer and Washington Informer Charities

• Safeway Gift Card

• Washington Informer swag bag with assorted gifts from sponsors

MEET THE WINNERS!

3 1st place winner Jerald Campana (left), an 8th grader from St. Albans School for Boys and runner-up Alexander Perez, 4th grader also from St. Albans School for Boys are proud to display their trophies.

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

41ST ANNUAL

DC CITY WIDE SPELLING BEE

COMPETITORS FORGE A BOND AT THE 41ST ANNUAL SPELLING BEE

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

St. Albans School clinched victory for the second consecutive year at the Washington Informer DC City Wide Spelling Bee when Jerald Campana, an eighth grader, and Alexander Perez, a fourth grader, secured the first and second place spots, respectively.

Even in the midst of intense competition, the two schoolmates established a bond built on mutual respect and their love of spelling multisyllabic words. Alexander, a novice spelling bee participant, said he learned so much talking to Jerald and watching him leverage his years of spelling bee experience into wins at each level of the competition this year.

With four more years of eligibility left, Alexander said he hopes to enter future spelling bees and follow a path similar to Jerald’s.

“I learned new words and now I’m seeing those words and going back to them when I read books and write,” Alexander said. “The competition is fun [because] you meet other people and talk to them. You can make friends at the spelling bee, especially when you’re studying. The people who study go further.”

Jerald and Alexander counted among nearly 30 District public, public charter, private and parochial students who competed in the 41st annual Washington Informer DC City Wide Spelling Bee on March 18. For the fourth consecutive year, the Office of Cable Television, Movies, Film and Entertainment (OCTMFE) hosted the competition, which carried several notable moments.

an 8th grader at St. Albans School spells his last word that brought victory as the winner of the 2023 DC City Wide Spelling Bee. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

For three hours, the pool of spellers slowly dwindled. Returning citywide spelling bee champion Nalleti Otieno, an eighth grader at St. Augustine Catholic School, made it through the fourth round before she was eliminated. Meanwhile, Eldana Mulugeta, a fourth grader at Center City Public Charter School Brightwood Campus, reentered the competition early on after successfully challenging the judges’ call about her spelling of “debunk.”

By the fifth round, nearly a dozen students were still standing strong, with standouts including Gael Romero, an eighth grader at Oyster-Adams Bilingual School and Samuel Aydahis standing out as formidable competitors. By the 10th round, Gael counted among four students left on the stage, and even successfully rebuffed elimination at one point.

However, by the 12th round, the spelling bee narrowed down to Jerald and Alexander.

After 14 rounds, Alexander misspelled teledu, defined as a stink badger with brown and black fur and a white stripe along the top of its head and back. Jerald then swooped in and took the first place spot with his correct spelling of coup de grace, defined as an event that puts an end to a negative situation.

In the weeks leading to the citywide spelling bee, Jer-

CONTINUED ON PAGE S-7

4 Alexander Perez, a 4th grader at St. Albans School earned second place in the 2023 DC City Wide Spelling Bee. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

5 Jerald Campana,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE S-6

ald, with the help of his mother, studied words from the champion-level spelling bee list provided to him. He also relied on the nearly two years of Latin instruction he received at St. Albans to help him recognize root words and origins.

Jerald said those elements, along with a familiarity with the spelling bee stage, laid the foundation for a solid victory. Now he will represent Washington, D.C. in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, scheduled to take place between May 30 and June 1 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

“I’m anticipating the nationals will be a lot harder,” Jerald said as he reflected on the significance of the moment. “Since I won, I’ve gotten a lot of materials [and] a subscription to Webster’s Dictionary. It makes me feel proud to be a St. Albans student and part of that legacy. Historically we had a lot of winners and national spelling bee participants. I’m proud to be one of those that people could say was with the best spellers.”

The Washington Informer has hosted the citywide spelling bee since 1981. Every year, thousands of students from more than 200 District schools participate in the competition, which had been taped and aired at NBC4 studios at one point. Even through the transition to OCTFME and a pandemic that relegated the bee to the virtual realm, D.C.’s best and brightest spellers continued to give it their all.

Sponsors for this year’s spelling bee were: Washington Informer Charities and OCTFME along with Washington Gas, Pepco, Safeway Foundation, Comcast, D.C. Public Schools, Delta Kappa Gamma District of Columbia State Organization, Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education, Merriam-Webster, National Spelling Bee, Silver Spring Signarama, XBOX, and the D.C. government.

OCTFME’s own Cecily Fernandez hosted the spelling bee, while David Zahren served as pronouncer. Dr. Elizabeth Primas, the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s education programs manager, Jason B. Moore, manager of secondary assessments and interventions at DCPS, and author-editor-poet Jonathan C. Lewis served as judges.

LaToya Foster, in her first year as director of OCTFME, also took to the stage to welcome students, parents and community members who took part in what she described as a significant educational experience. “It’s always exciting for children and parents,” Foster told the Informer. “This is about D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s commitment to youth and literacy. We look forward to doing more in line with that.”

Amar Barber, an eighth grader at Walker-Jones Education Campus in Northwest, counted among those who entered the citywide spelling bee for the first time. Earlier this year, Amar entered the spelling bee at his school at the recommendation of his gym teacher. Much to his surprise, he rose through the ranks at the school-level bee and cluster bee.

In the citywide bee, Amar was eliminated in the second round when he misspelled panorama. Though he admitted the loss briefly shocked him, Amar told the Informer that he gained an appreciation for the work that it takes to prepare for a spelling bee.

With his eyes on Friendship Public Charter School - Northeast Campus for the next level in his academic career, Amar, an aspiring firefighter, said he feels better prepared to take on new challenges.

“I wasn’t expecting to go to the citywide bee [but} I tried my best,” Amar said. “Practice makes perfect. Someone out there has more experience and deserves [the win]. This experience helped me gain confidence and understanding about what it’s like to be a finalist.”

@SamPKCollins

5 2023 DC City Wide Spellers

3 2023 DC City-Wide Spellers

5 Amar Barber, an 8th grader at Walker-Jones Education Campus thinks hard about the spelling word. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

MEET THE SPELLERS

Gael Romero Oyster-Adams Bilingual School 8th Grade

Gabriel Boorstein-Foss Oyster-Adams Bilingual School 8th Grade

Caroline Consentino Mann Elementary School 5th Grade

Nora Baker BASIS DC / 5th Grade

Bianca Curry Janney Elementary School 5th Grade

Noah Lee National Presbyterian School 6th Grade

Liam Stockton Hearst Elementary School 4th Grade

Kenechukwu Anikwe Garrison Elementary School 5th Grade

Javier De La Cruz Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom- Brookland / 5th Grade

Nalleti Otieno St. Augustine Catholic School 8th Grade

Mallory Chugh Eaton Elementary School 4th Grade

Lucy Newman Oyster-Adams Bilingual School 6th Grade

Abraham Latner BASIS DC 6th Grade

Eldana Mulugeta Center City Brightwood Campus 4th Grade

Konstantina Labrou Maury Elementary School 5th Grade

Abagia Mersha St. Augustine Catholic School 8th Grade

Aurora Felton Deal Middle School 6th Grade

Amar Barber Walker Jones Education Campus 8th Grade

Neila Wright Washington Latin Middle School 8th Grade

Samuel Aydahis Eaton Elementary School 5th Grade

#11

MEET THE SPELLERS

Dania Johnson Shining Stars Montessori Academy 6th Grade

Jerald Campana St. Albans School for Boys 8th Grade

Alexander Perez St. Albans School for Boys 4th Grade

Solveig Smith Washington Yu Ying 5th Grade

Malda Dilargachi Janney Elementary School 5th Grade

Emma Weeks Key Elementary School 5th Grade

Jaylen Thompson Nalle Elementary School 5th Grade

Zoe Stobart National Cathedral School 6th Grade

Shauna Motes Friendship Armstrong Elementary Academy 7th Grade

Jane Volmer Holy Trinity School 8th Grade

#26

#22

#28

#29

#30

MEET THE PRONOUNCER

This is his 7th year as the Citywide Spelling Bee Pronouncer.

Mr. David Zahren is currently a television instructional specialist with the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Department of Television Resources and Web Services. This is his 49th year with PGCPS.  Over the past 30+ years, Mr. Zahren has written, produced, and hosted four award-winning science programs that have aired on cable television: “Give Science A Hand,” a hands-on approach to science aimed at elementary school students; “Science Bowl,” an interscholastic science game show; “Under the Microscope,” a series of staff development programs for elementary teachers that also airs nationwide on PBS stations, and a new series, “Anatomy of a Lesson.” This is his 22nd year as the Prince George’s County Spelling Bee Pronouncer.

Mr. Zahren is a cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh and has a master’s degree in school administration and human relations from George Washington University. In 1985, after a teaching career that had spanned fourteen years, including three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nairobi, Kenya, Mr. Zahren was selected as Maryland’s Teacher in Space candidate. He was one of 100 teachers chosen from the 40,000 applicants nationwide to vie for a flight aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

Mr. Zahren has received a number of awards, including the CINE Golden Eagle, for his work as a science teacher, a television host and producer, and a space educator. He continues to produce and host public television programs with the Department of Television Resources and Web Services in Prince George’s County and served for 17 years as host of “It’s Academic,” a high school quiz program that aired on WJZ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore.   He retired in 2015 from Washington’s WJLA-ABC 7/News Channel 8 after working 25 years as a part-time weather forecaster.

Elizabeth Primas Education Program Manager  National Newspaper Publishers Association

Jason B. Moore

Manager: Elementary Assessments & Interventions DCPS

Jonathan C. Lewis

Author, Editor, Poet

Mawuena De-Souza

Manager: Secondary Assessments & Interventions DCPS

Dr.

5 David Zahren

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5 City wide spellers Nalleti Otieno (2) and Abagia Mersha (14) with their parents and Washington Informer Publisher, Denise Rolark Barnes. (Roy Lewis/ The Washington Informer)

5 City wide spellers wait attentively to be called to spell a word. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

5 Denise Rolark Barnes greets spellers and their families during the DC City Wide Spelling Bee at the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment (OCTFME). (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

THE MOMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 11 AT 7:00PM

5 From left – DC City Wide Spelling Bee Coordinator Jason B. Moore, Tamica Jones from Pepco, Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, 1st place winner Jerald Campana, runner-up Alexander Perez, OCTFME director Latoya Foster, Tracye Funn from Washington Gas, and Washington Informer Advertising Director Ron Burke pose in front of the studio audience following the competition

5 Audience members listen closely to spellers. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

5 Nalleti Otieno attempts to spell a word during the 2023 DC City Wide Spelling Bee. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

because we know that diverse teams drive powerful outcomes. We take pride in our long history of inclusion and are committed to promoting change that leads to improved economic and social equity in our communities. That’s what drives us.

We are proud to support the 41st annual D.C. Spelling Bee, presented by The Washington Informer, and congratulate this year’s participants.

pepco.com

On television and streaming, the Bee will premiere on Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00pm on the DKN channel on cable and on the streaming network, DCE.

A. On cable channels in the District, DKN can be found on Comcast, channel 99; RCN, channel 18 and Verizon, channel 12. It can also be found in HD on RCN, channel 1057 and Comcast channel, 1091.

B. How to view the 41st Annual Washington Informer Spelling BeeDCE is available on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iPhone and Android.

C. For all those interested in watching the Bee, please go to DCEnetwork.com and download the free app.

Winning African American

Winner Jerald Campana

St. Albans School for Boys / 8th Grade (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)