Twelve contestants, one microphone and a list of mildly challenging words. On September 21, 2024, the Fieldston Upper School community gathered in the auditorium to witness the now annual spelling bee. As Supervisors of Fun Times Reanna Bilbao (Form VI) and Lily Burnside (Form VI) announced each term, participants battled for the validation of being a good speller.
Spellers’ reasons for partaking in the bee were varied. Grant Bennett (Form V) said “Idk, they asked” while Lily Rothman (Form III) explained “I don’t have a lot of experience being in front of a crowd and wanted to practice my public speaking skills.” Rothman went on to attribute signing up to “[a] general interest in linguistics. English and language are some of my favorite subjects.”
John Keithline (Form IV) detailed, “I didn’t sign up last year because I was too scared. This year, I’m a little older and knew I was a pretty good speller, so I decided to try it out”
Upper School English teacher Charlotte Stabenau’s appreciation for community-wide connection compelled her to compete. She shared, “the best part of participating in community events is getting to know more people. Because I am a teacher and in a leadership position, I hope [through these events] more people know who I am and that I want to be a part of community life.”
Reasoning aside, the Bee enlivened what is typically a half-conscious crowd. As contestants made their way to the stage, thunderous applause punctuated the stiff auditorium air. Grade representatives sported smiles and sometimes even sunglasses. Will Wickware (Form V) identified “the applause when [he] was called to go up on stage” as a favorite memory of the event.
Crowd participation didn’t stop there. Cacophonies of groans at missed letters and claps at correct spellings breathed life into the contest. Though the first two rounds knocked out a majority of the group, a lull of objectively simpler words followed. The audience directed the moderators to choose harder terms via cheering or booing when words like “spirulina” and “centipede” flashed across the screen. Moderator Bilbao remarked, “I’m always happy to see the upper school with enthusiasm [during assembly] because I know we usually use it to catch up on sleep.”
Contestants also pushed the competition’s boundaries. Some fan favorite moments include Rothman’s request of “can I get a harder word?” and, of course, the great duodenum mispronunciation. When Keithline was given the word ‘dua-denim,’ he thought it sounded vaguely familiar. Thus, he promptly inquired, “did you mean duodenum?”
“I really asked not just to be a bit egotistical but also because for all I know ‘dua-denim’ is a different word with a different spelling. I didn’t expect it to get the reaction it did, and I certainly didn’t expect everyone to be asking me about it in the halls,” Keithline explained of his now famous query. The moment has since been praised by fellow participants as “iconic.” It is safe to say duodenum shall be pronounced correctly forevermore.
Moments like these aside, the spelling bee remained a merciless, albeit unserious, competition. The second half of the assembly was a seemingly endless rotation between Rothman, Keithline, Stabenau and new Upper School math teacher Clay Kaufman. Rothman explained that it was, “really fun and exciting to compete with both students and teachers” while Keithline reasoned “playing with teachers made it fun but also a little bit harder and more intimidating.”
Stabenau revealed, “I was nervous on stage having to demonstrate my spelling chops in front of all the students. Most people think English teachers are great spellers. I felt I had to rise to that standard.” At the end of the day, or at least the end of assembly period, the English teacher stereotypes proved true. Following an upset with the word “chauffeur” last year, Stabenau persevered to become the 2024 Spelling Bee champion.
To anyone looking to claim the crown in the future, she offers simple advice. “If you want to spell [well], read books!”
