Shadow Oaks Elementary fifth-grader Amna Naqvi was the last speller left standing Feb. 22 during the SBISD Spelling Bee. Hunters Creek Elementary fourth-grader Jordan Kreindler was named the district's runner-up. Amna advances to the Houston Chronicle Spelling Bee, which will be held March 26. SBISD’s Advanced Academic Studies/Gifted & Talented Department sponsors the annual spelling bee.
Amna and Jordan were among 12 campus spelling bee winners who competed at the district level. Other top campus spellers are: Mary Ann Quinones, Spring Oaks Middle; Sophia Huq, Frostwood Elementary; Vanessa Silvas, Ridgecrest Elementary; Christopher Call, Pine Shadows Elementary; Elizabeth Jaramillo, Cedar Brook Elementary; Elizabeth Doykan, Bunker Hill Elementary; Zeriba Jahangir, Spring Forest Middle; David Pham, Westchester Academy; Tiphanie Brandenburg, Westwood Elementary; and Jacquelyn Tarics, Spring Branch Middle.
Helping Amna prepare for the upcoming Chronicle Spelling Bee will be Hunters Creek Elementary parent and former national Spelling Bee contestant Roberta Smiley. Roberta, a dedicated Spelling Bee booster, has helped several students prepare for the regional contest during the past six years.
Spelling Bee participation encourages students to improve spelling skills and increase their vocabularies. The winner of the March 26 Chronicle Spelling Bee and two parents will receive an expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Scripps National Bee, which will be held May 25-31.