I was recently invited back to the school I devoted 27 years to - Cecil Floyd Elementary in Joplin, Missouri - as the spellmaster of the annual spelling bee for fourth and fifth graders. I had the duty of taking the microphone for this event for the past few years, and as I happily took to the stage once again. It was a rich experience, though with a very different feel, to see former students, now fifth graders (specifically ANNA and RAMONA), ready to spell the random words as they were drawn from my envelope. I had a pretty nice run at this event in the past few years. Several Hoggatteers conquered the spelling bee and went on the regional competition. Last year's winner was TATE, but he was joined on the regional stage by sixth grader NICK (both in the photo, below right). Several years ago, Hoggatteer MICHELLE also won the regional contest with an amazing performance after spelling some very difficult words. This year, ANNA and RAMONA were in the final three on stage, and RAMONA was the last competitor standing after correctly spelling the word aggression. I was so proud of both of these students' composure. |
Of course, I needed to visit my formers in their classrooms after the bee. This will be the last year I will have students in the elementary school as they all graduate to middle school at the end of May. Returning to Cecil Floyd, next year, will be like going back to the house my parents sold when I was in the sixth grade: the structure will seem familiar, but the kids will never be mine again. |