Teen competes in National Bee

Posted on: J A McRae

 

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter
 
Shrapnel is not usually a word in a teenager’s vocabulary, but for Courtney Bangen it is one she will probably remember for a long time.
Bangen was one of the 52 chosen, out of 13,000 Grade 4 – 8 students, to compete in the Postmedia Canspell National Spelling Bee, which was held in Calgary on March 3. 
Bangen, a Grade 8 Crowther Memorial Junior High (CMJHS) student, made it to the third round before the word ‘shrapnel’ came up for her.  
“I made it to round three and then I got out,” said Bangen, who had never heard the word before.
Terry Motley, a teacher with CMJHS, enters his school for the bee. The 400 CMJHS Grade 7 and 8 students then take a written spelling test and the top 25 kids are picked to compete in the oral spelling bee at the school. 
The school winner then has to write another test to vie for a spot at the National Spelling Bee. 
“I was so proud I could burst, I was just teary eyed. Both her father and I just thought she handled everything with such poise and confidence,” said Christy Bangen, Courtney’s mom. 
“It was definitely a special event that she was able to take part in. It was really neat, and it was so well organized.”
The first round began with easy words such as lemon, and progressively became harder with each round. 
“They weren’t all that tricky because I didn’t make it that far, but there were a few I hadn’t heard before. I would say them to myself as other people were spelling them and if they got it right, I’d be like oh I probably would have gotten that one wrong,” said Courtney. 
Courtney didn’t get very nervous, but said one girl beside her was shaking from nerves. The best part for Courtney about taking part in the bee was getting to hear all the different words, and meeting new people and finding different points of view and study techniques. Christy Bangen found it to be such an amazing experience watching her daughter on stage, and encourages any youth who have the ability and opportunity to take part in the spelling bee to do so.