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COEUR d’ALENE – Spelling, the game resumes.
Idaho Character Foundation on Monday signed an agreement to sponsor the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee, with the Coeur d’Alene School District overseeing the event.
“The spelling contest helps students, like me, to step out of their comfort zone, try to excel beyond previous limits and defeats and improve one’s character,” said Dan Pinkerton, co- founder of the ICF alongside his wife, Kathryn. “I hope all students in grades four through eight in northern Idaho will accept our challenge to compete in local spelling contests and reap the many benefits that come with consistent, in-depth study.”
The regional spelling contest was sponsored for 17 years by Coeur d’Alene Press and supervised by North Idaho College. Last year, North Idaho College single-handedly sponsored and supervised the event and announced in the fall that it was withdrawing from the spelling contest. College officials asked for a new sponsor and coordinator to intervene.
ICF, a nonprofit that promotes character throughout the community, has signed an agreement with the Scripps National Spelling Bee to indefinitely sponsor the same five northern counties and provide the champion and his guardian with an all-expense paid trip to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC
Pinkerton said that aside from the benefits he saw in his children preparing for the spelling contest, his passion for supporting the competition stems from his own experiences with the spelling contest throughout school.
At 12, Pinkerton said his goal was to win the spelling contest and compete at the state level. While winning locally and taking the Alaska State Spelling Contest, Pinkerton said he was knocked out in the first round on the word “heroine”.
“I was heartbroken to be one of the first to compete, but it has helped me a lot in life looking to continually improve and overcome defeat,” said Pinkerton. “It was good for my character as I think it is for the kids in northern Idaho.”
In addition, Pinkerton said to encourage greater school participation, the ICF will pay 50% of the National Spelling Bee school registration fee as a reimbursement to registered schools by September 30. They will also send a second-place champion and his guardian on an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC’s National Spelling Bee if that second person makes it to the 20th round of the 2022 North Idaho Spelling Bee Championship.
Coordination and communication for Bee 2022 will be led by Mike Nelson, Director of System Assessments and Performance for the Coeur d’Alene School District. Nelson has assembled a team to help him with this difficult task.
“We are very pleased that our students in Grades 4 through 8, and those in the northern five counties, have once again the opportunity to compete for a place in the National Spelling Bee,” said Nelson. “Our students have a history of success in their competitions and we are delighted to have the event in our community again this winter.
One-third of the North Idaho Spelling Bee’s regional champions have come from the Coeur d’Alene School District in the past 18 years.
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