SPELLING BEE PROVES GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER | By MEG WATERS

THE SPELLING BEE IS back!

Students at Pax Christi Academies dusted off their diphthongs and digraphs for the first of what will be an annual Spelling Bee competition between all five schools – St. Anne, St. Barbara, La Purísima, St. Joseph and St. Justin Martyr.

The Spelling Bee is not just a fearsome relic of the past; it’s an opportunity to master classic communication tools that allow expressive and individualized prose.

Christina Arellano, Ed.D, president of Pax Christi Academies, said, “The Spelling Bee helps children excel academically, and is another way to encourage students to get up on stage and be inspired to compete. We are bringing the Spelling Bee back to Catholic Schools, and next year we plan to participate in the state and national competitions.”

The event was held recently at the Freed Theater on the Christ Cathedral campus. Parents and teachers cheered the finalists who had won the opportunity to compete in the championship.

“To see these students excel outside the classroom walls builds confidence and friendships with their peers at other schools,” noted Arellano.

ICYMI, (in case you missed it) texting, tweeting and email have eroded the sentence to a clipped digital language that is devoid of the lyrical nuance of the written word. As Pax Christi Academies revives the classic model of Catholic education, the Spelling Bee is making a comeback as a counter to truncated words conducive to the limitations of thumb-based typing in the digital age.

For many years, schools have de-emphasized spelling, grammar, handwriting and sentence structure in favor of a more relaxed approach that values individual expression, regardless of its legibility to others.

For example, a single vowel can make all the difference—spelling, along with punctuation, legible cursive and printing, grammar and syntax create clarity and allow the reader to understand. To communicate, precision and accuracy matter.

The Spelling Bee “exercise” is a great way to “exorcise” sloppy communication habits, but never the other way around. Pax Christi Academies offers students a revolutionary new model that might look like the traditional Catholic school education of their grandparents. In addition to teaching the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, the school’s focus is on the whole student, including life skills such as self-control, self-respect and respect for others, all within the atmosphere of Catholic teaching.

“We are starting etiquette classes next year, a skill that is nearly ignored in the education system today, but is essential to becoming a well-rounded and mature adult,” said Arellano. “We want our students to sit up straight, know how to graciously receive an award, shake a hand and be respectful.”

She added: “When visitors come into our classroom, everyone stands. It’s rare to see this now, but bringing this back is one of the things that has always stood out in Catholic education. Respect, a sense of presence and comportment will last a lifetime.”