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Daily Herald | News
Of the 417 words on the list, only one brings a secret, reminiscent smile to Rebecca Hoffman’s face.
D-R-A-G-O-N.
The six-letter beast eliminated the Schaumburg sixth-grader from last year’s statewide spelling bee.
She’d known the word — even practiced it with her interpreter. But when she was on stage, she fumbled, missing the “A” as she signed each letter.
“I spelled it too fast,” said Rebecca, who attends Schaumburg’s Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary School, as she signed to her interpreter. “I want to win first place this time, and I’m hoping that I don’t make the same mistake as last year.”
Rebecca was among the students participating in the 10th annual statewide spelling bee for deaf students Friday at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
No one wanted to be the first one to leave the stage.
Interpreters signed each word for them, sometimes saying the newest challenge or putting it in a sentence. The students modeled their presenters’ actions and then signed the words, letter by letter for the judges.
Strategies varied from student to student. A few spelled the words to themselves before their 30-second time clock expired. Others practiced behind their backs, hiding their handiwork before offering their final answers.
It can take a little more time and effort for deaf students to participate in spelling bees, interpreters say. They don’t have the luxury of hearing words, and in some cases, one sign can mean several things.
When students prepare for the spelling bee, they often come across words they’ve never seen. They’ll have to memorize the sign for each word before they move on to the tough part — learning to spell it. To sign a “pimple,” just pretend as if your squeezing one. For “drawers,” pretend you’re opening and closing a dresser compartment. To show someone a new “bracelet,” clasp your wrist.
Tension hung in the auditorium air Friday. The children sat on their hands, tapped their feet and breathed deep sighs of relief when judges gave them a nod — an indication they’d made it to the next round.
This spelling bee was silent — even when the competitors were applauded. People in the audience threw their hands in the air and wiggled their fingers to show support.
Lauren Holtz was extremely nervous before the bee. The 11-year-old Schaumburg student knew all of the words. She wasn’t worried about forgetting how to spell them or cracking under pressure. Slowing down — that was her real concern.
“I’m kind of a fast speller like most people,” said Lauren, an Elizabeth Blackwell fifth-grader, through an interpreter. “Sometimes my mom will say, ‘Please, please, just slow down.’ I have to watch it. Sometimes (my hands) move before I think about it.”
She tried to follow to stay slow. But when you’re on stage, it’s not always that easy. She misspelled “pamphlet,” a word she’d practiced. Discouraged but not defeated, Lauren says she’ll be back. Next year, she’ll take her time.
Rebecca did just that, taking strides to sign each word slowly. Her patience paid off, and she was one of the last two contenders.
Her final word was “brochure.”
“I thought I knew how to spell it,” Rebecca said afterward. “I wasn’t quite so sure though, and I got it wrong.”
Words for the next age bracket are pretty tough, and the commitment would mean even more practice time for Rebecca, who studied five days a week with her mom and a few times a week at school this time. That’s a hectic schedule for the active preteen who splits time between basketball, cheerleading, deaf plays, dance and a number of other outside activities.
She says she’ll have to think about it.
“But if I decide to do it, I’d have to spend a lot more time learning the words,” she signed.
Last year, when Rebecca returned to school, third-place trophy in hand, she beamed from ear to ear, said Elizabeth Blackwell teacher Jill Reipsa. The best part was having the other students congratulate her and say, “Wow, that’s so cool.
“It’s just a feel-good for them,” said Reipsa, the school’s deaf and hard of hearing chairwoman. “It’s a way for them to be proud of their sign language, to be proud of their deafness.”
Of the 417 words on the list, only one brings a secret, reminiscent smile to Rebecca Hoffman’s face.
D-R-A-G-O-N.
The six-letter beast eliminated the Schaumburg sixth-grader from last year’s statewide spelling bee.
She’d known the word — even practiced it with her interpreter. But when she was on stage, she fumbled, missing the “A” as she signed each letter.
“I spelled it too fast,” said Rebecca, who attends Schaumburg’s Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary School, as she signed to her interpreter. “I want to win first place this time, and I’m hoping that I don’t make the same mistake as last year.”
Rebecca was among the students participating in the 10th annual statewide spelling bee for deaf students Friday at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
No one wanted to be the first one to leave the stage.
Interpreters signed each word for them, sometimes saying the newest challenge or putting it in a sentence. The students modeled their presenters’ actions and then signed the words, letter by letter for the judges.
Strategies varied from student to student. A few spelled the words to themselves before their 30-second time clock expired. Others practiced behind their backs, hiding their handiwork before offering their final answers.
It can take a little more time and effort for deaf students to participate in spelling bees, interpreters say. They don’t have the luxury of hearing words, and in some cases, one sign can mean several things.
When students prepare for the spelling bee, they often come across words they’ve never seen. They’ll have to memorize the sign for each word before they move on to the tough part — learning to spell it. To sign a “pimple,” just pretend as if your squeezing one. For “drawers,” pretend you’re opening and closing a dresser compartment. To show someone a new “bracelet,” clasp your wrist.
Tension hung in the auditorium air Friday. The children sat on their hands, tapped their feet and breathed deep sighs of relief when judges gave them a nod — an indication they’d made it to the next round.
This spelling bee was silent — even when the competitors were applauded. People in the audience threw their hands in the air and wiggled their fingers to show support.
Lauren Holtz was extremely nervous before the bee. The 11-year-old Schaumburg student knew all of the words. She wasn’t worried about forgetting how to spell them or cracking under pressure. Slowing down — that was her real concern.
“I’m kind of a fast speller like most people,” said Lauren, an Elizabeth Blackwell fifth-grader, through an interpreter. “Sometimes my mom will say, ‘Please, please, just slow down.’ I have to watch it. Sometimes (my hands) move before I think about it.”
She tried to follow to stay slow. But when you’re on stage, it’s not always that easy. She misspelled “pamphlet,” a word she’d practiced. Discouraged but not defeated, Lauren says she’ll be back. Next year, she’ll take her time.
Rebecca did just that, taking strides to sign each word slowly. Her patience paid off, and she was one of the last two contenders.
Her final word was “brochure.”
“I thought I knew how to spell it,” Rebecca said afterward. “I wasn’t quite so sure though, and I got it wrong.”
Words for the next age bracket are pretty tough, and the commitment would mean even more practice time for Rebecca, who studied five days a week with her mom and a few times a week at school this time. That’s a hectic schedule for the active preteen who splits time between basketball, cheerleading, deaf plays, dance and a number of other outside activities.
She says she’ll have to think about it.
“But if I decide to do it, I’d have to spend a lot more time learning the words,” she signed.
Last year, when Rebecca returned to school, third-place trophy in hand, she beamed from ear to ear, said Elizabeth Blackwell teacher Jill Reipsa. The best part was having the other students congratulate her and say, “Wow, that’s so cool.
“It’s just a feel-good for them,” said Reipsa, the school’s deaf and hard of hearing chairwoman. “It’s a way for them to be proud of their sign language, to be proud of their deafness.”