Twin brothers, fifth graders Matthew and Nico Garcia, were the final two remaining spellers on stage at the Dove Elementary School Spelling Bee held Thursday, December 7, but it’s what happened next that set the tone for the outcome of the event.
Sitting at their seats on opposite sides of the stage, the two brothers walked toward each other and hugged. Nico then said, “Okay, it’s just the two of us and only one can win, but you will always be my brother.” They hugged once more.
After about three or four more rounds, Matthew emerged as the winner.
“No, it wasn’t about sibling rivalry at all,” Nico added. “Matthew and I, we’re brothers. It was a great achievement to get second. I feel great to even be at the spelling bee.”
This was Nico’s first spelling bee competition, while it was Matthew’s second.
“They both worked really hard, like all of our students, and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Principal Heather Landrum.
Learning how to be great spellers “starts in the early grades and we provide as many opportunities as we can to immerse students in literacy and language,” Landrum added. “In pre-K, it starts with activities that involve letters and then moving to sounds, with students beginning to write in kindergarten and first grade.”
Landrum also added that she is pleased with the district’s new elementary curriculum resource for reading and writing, launched in January 2023, which is “really intentional about using specific spelling patterns.”
The curriculum resource is now used at all GCISD elementary schools.
“In the English language there is almost an exception for every rule when it comes to spelling, and I saw that evidenced with our fourth and fifth graders [in the spelling bee] that they understand the spelling rules as well as those words that follow a non-conventional spelling pattern. They are learning a life-long skill.”
GCISD campuses are currently holding their school spelling bees, with the last one taking place January 12. Winners will advance to compete in the area bee with students from other GCISD schools as well as Carroll ISD.