TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – Two Arlington High School seniors won the Literacy Connections of the Hudson Valley’s annual spelling bee on Tuesday at Marist College. The competition is the longest-running spelling bee in the state, despite being paused by the pandemic. Maya Watts and Elena Waldbillig outspelled dozens of competitors to take home the trophy.
Literacy Connections uses the event to raise money for its programming and supports reading programs for adults and families. According to Executive Director Marisol Rodriguez. the money raised “helps adults learn basic literacy and English language skills; it also helps them obtain a GED, become US citizens, and to get better jobs.” She also said, “Our children’s program helps elementary school children become grade-level readers.”
Watts and Waldbillig competed at the urging of Arlington High School English teacher, Mr. Reiter, who, according to Elena, “Rocks.”
Elena was encouraged to participate. “I’m a big fan of his; it sounded like a fun experience. And my mother is an English teacher, so of course, she encouraged it.”
Each two competitors compete as a team and spell in the bee that uses official Spelling Bee rules but in a more festive atmosphere. No teams are eliminated in the regular rounds but scores are kept. The teams with the highest scores go to the final round.
Forty-three teams competed to be named the “top spellers,” including at least nine teams from New Paltz High School. The New Paltz group made full use of the day by taking a guided tour of the Marist campus after the champions were crowned.
Competitors included teenagers, those eligible for AARP membership, and senior citizens. All gathered to raise funds for Literacy Connections and have fun in the process.
Competing as “Team UnBEEtable,” sponsored by Consigli Construction, Maya and Elena captured the victory when they successfully spelled “asphyxiant,” which is a nontoxic or minimally toxic gas that reduces or displaces the normal oxygen concentration in breathing air. Breathing oxygen-depleted air can lead to death by asphyxiation.
Maya is a basketball player and will be taking her skills to Cornell in the fall where she will play for the Cornell Big Red while studying computer science. Her lifelong friend and spelling bee teammate Elena has been accepted to seven colleges to date and is leaning toward attending Boston College.
Video of the event and the winning team spelling their final word:
