Rio Rancho Names 2009 Spanish Spelling Bee Champions

Fifth Grader Outspells Field at Spanish Spelling Competition

It took a lot of paciencia – patience – but after eleven rounds Ernest Stapleton Elementary fifth-grader Yolaus Quispe hoisted the championship trophy in Rio Rancho Public Schools’ sixth annual Spanish-Language Spelling Bee. 

Quispe delighted the spectators with his expressive enthusiasm, making the sign of the cross and tensing up on the more difficult words, and smiling and sighing with relief when told he was right.  By the end of the seventh round, he and another fifth-grader, Joana Fernandez of Rio Rancho Elementary, had bested 19 other spellers to set up the final dual.  Three rounds later, Fernandez missed her word, paciencia. 

Under the final round rules for the Spanish-language bee, a contestant must correctly spell the missed word and then correctly spell an additional word in order to win.  Quispe aced paciencia and his winning word, iglesia, meaning church.  

The Spanish Spelling Bee is similar to the annual district Spelling Bee for English-language words.  Students spell Spanish words using the Spanish alphabet, pronunciation, and characters.  For example, students must include the accent when spelling the word adiós, and the “ñ” in spelling mañana. 

Students from Cielo Azul, Colinas del Norte, Enchanted Hills, Ernest Stapleton, Puesta del Sol Elementary, Rio Rancho, and Vista Grande Elementary Schools, Lincoln and Mountain View Middle Schools, and Rio Rancho Mid High competed in the bee, which is open to students in grades 4 – 8.  Each school may send two spellers to the bee.  The bee also included one home-schooled participant. 

Quispe will represent Rio Rancho Public Schools at the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education’s regional spelling bee on Saturday, April 18 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.  Fernandez will be the alternate in case the winner cannot compete.