PHS Spell Bowl coach Mrs. Amy Schmeltz helps junior Grace Stokes learn her Spell Bowl words. Photo by: Kelsey Schnieders

By Kelsey Schnieders

Reykjavik, bouillabaisse, Biedermeier, somnambulistic. Those are just a few of the 3,500 words on the 2011 Indiana Academic Spell Bowl list.

This year’s team is coached by Mrs. Amy Schmeltz, one of PHS’s English and Yearbook teachers, who herself competed on a spell bowl team in high school.  “Our team was very successful,” she said.  “We went to state every year.  The experience taught me the importance of tradition.”  Mrs. Schmeltz also said that she was very excited to have the opportunity to coach the team.  This is her second year coaching the Spell Bowl team.

The words on the spell bowl list range from the simple, like “soy” and “cast,” all the way up to the just plain strange, like “will-o’-the-wisp” and “syzygy.”  The students practice for the competitions by taking spelling tests over some of the words at practices.  “Different students have different methods of studying independently,” Mrs. Schmeltz said.  “Some have their families quiz them, some copy the words multiple times, some look them up and listen to the pronunciation on their iPods.”  Practices are held Mondays and Wednesdays in Mrs. Schmeltz’s room, 136, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Students spend most of the time laughing, coming up with their own creative ways to remember words.

In a Spell Bowl competition itself, there are 10 rounds and each student spells nine words. Mrs. Schmeltz explained, “The students sit next to a proctor who watches them write the word as they listen to an announcer pronounce the word and use it in a sentence.  The team with the most correct words wins.”  The Northern Lakes Conference Contest is October 10 at Northwood and the Area competition is October 17 at John Glenn.  The team is hoping to make it to State again this year, which is held at Purdue.

Mrs. Schmeltz said during her interview, “My favorite part is working with a group of top-notch students and listening to the associations students make with the words.”  She added, referring to the ever-present giant bag of candy that manages to find its way to every practice, “Of course, the candy is pretty important too!”

And does Mrs. Schmeltz have a favorite word?  “Atlatl and bibelot are my favorite words so far,” she said.  “There are so many from which to choose!”

To anyone considering joining Spell Bowl, Mrs. Schmeltz says, “Try it!  You can make new friends while building your vocabulary and study skills.”