DALLAS — A Dallas middle schooler will be one of two students from the North Texas area heading to the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee later this summer.
Lindsey Roberts, an eighth-grade student at W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy, scored high enough at the 64th Annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee and will be the only contestant representing Dallas ISD in the nationwide spelling championship.
Roberts correctly spelled words like avifauna, iatrogenic and kookaburra during this regional spelling bee in March.
Jesus Rodriguez, who teaches eighth grade Reading Language Arts at Greiner called Lindsey "bright" and "really good at writing."
“She’s very communicative and vocal and a very active reader, and even helps me spell words sometimes," Rodriguez said. "Those are building blocks to develop good vocabulary skills and excel in English class, and it’s really no surprise to me that she’s able to come this far.”
Acting, video games, theater tech and hard rock are among Lindsey’s main interests, but none surpass her love for reading, Dallas ISD said in a press release announcing Lindsey's upcoming trip to the spelling championship.
She also has been an avid reader for as long as her memory serves and recalls earning seventh place at an elementary school Spelling Bee contest when she was in second grade, Dallas ISD said.
“I feel like I’m naturally good at spelling because I read a lot,” Lindsey said in the press release. “I’ve been studying the list of words that Scripps provided. I find the words in dictionaries to learn about those that I’m not familiar with and to get a better grasp on spelling. I’ve been learning about the roots of words and about the different languages where they originate to find common spelling patterns.”
Eleanor Key, Lindsey’s mom, remembers how her daughter would memorize books and read them to her when she was only four years old, the district said.
By the time Lindsey started preschool, her reading skills were so advanced that her teachers found it difficult to give her challenges, Key said.
“They started letting her read to the class and she loved it,” Key said. “Lindsey was into novels when she was seven, and it was challenging for me to find her books that were age-appropriate and matched the level that she was prepared to read. She’s always had this really big passion for reading, and I know that it has everything to do with the vocabulary that she uses. I am immensely proud of what she’s accomplished.”
Greiner Principal Yvonne Rojas invited representatives from the Dallas Sports Commission, Dallas ISD’s RLA Department staff, school personnel and Lindsey’s best friend to celebrate her regional victory.
Courtesy of the Dallas Sports Commission and Southwest Airlines, the top two participants of the regional contest will receive all-expenses paid trips to Washington, D.C., to compete in the final event on June 2.
“The Dallas Sports Commission is passionate about supporting our community in everything we do,” said Monica Paul, executive director of the organization.
“One of the most impactful ways we’ve found to do that is through the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to champion young students in North Texas and it naturally encourages the students to stay engaged with their education," she said.
The Dallas Sports Commission – a nonprofit that pursues amateur, grassroots, collegiate and professional championship events – partnered with Scripps in 2017 to sponsor the Annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee program. To qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, contestants must be in the eighth grade or lower and have won their individual school bee and local county bee.
