Albuquerque Public Schools
North Star Fifth Grader Wins APS Spelling Bee
Sabreen Siba correctly spells 'bulgur' to take first place.
Sabreen Siba, a fifth grader at North Star Elementary, spelled “bulgur” correctly in the championship round to win the APS Spelling Bee.
Bulgur is wheat that has been parboiled and dried so that it can be cooked quickly into a rice-like dish.
“We are extremely proud of her,” said North Star Principal Benjamin Barlow.
Fifty-three students in third through eighth grades competed in the APS spelling bee, which was held Jan. 31 at the Berna Facio Professional Development Complex.
Siba won in the sixth round.
Eisenhower Middle School eighth grader Madeleine Michael and Ventana Ranch Elementary fourth grader Sophie Dunkleberger came in second and third, respectively.
Other APS students qualifying to compete in the online state qualifying spelling bee, listed in alphabetical order, are:
- Izel Demsey, a seventh grader at Taylor Middle School
- Diego Garcia, a fifth grader at East San Jose Elementary
- Carlos Gomez, a fifth grader at Douglas MacArthur Elementary
- John Howard, a fifth grader at Comanche Elementary
- Mehma Kaur, an eighth grader at Jefferson Middle School
- Margaret Maurer, a fifth grader at Zia Elementary.
- Neha Nair a fifth grader at Dennis Chavez Elementary
- And Kerowynn Volz, a fifth grader at Lavaland Elementary
The district bee was coordinated by Cheryl Wheeler, executive director of elementary teaching and learning at APS, and Ashley Griego, executive administrative assistant. Judges were Rachel Altobelli, senior director of library services, Sheri Jett, chief academic officer, and
Sharon Olguin, associate superintendent of elementary teaching and learning.
To qualify for the district bee, the spelling bee coordinator at each participating school registered the school with the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The competition process began with a classroom spelling bee, where students competed against their classmates. The winner of each classroom bee advanced to the school-wide bee, and the school bee champion moved on to the district spelling bee. Throughout this process, students prepare by studying Words of the Champions, a 4,000-word list published annually by the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The New Mexico Online State Qualifying Spelling Bee will be held on Feb. 27. The top 25 spellers from the Online State Qualifying Bee will advance to the New Mexico State Spelling Bee on March 29.
The New Mexico State Spelling Bee champion and a parent or guardian will receive round-trip airfare to the national spelling bee in Washington, D.C.