The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-05-12
COUNTY SPELLING CONTEST

4
The County Spelling Contest, ar
ranged under the auspices Of the st.
Francois County Inter-School Acti-
vities Association, was held in Fiat
River on Saturday, May 9Th. This
was the first inter-school spelling con-
test held by the Association and rules
and regulations governing same were
formulated for the first time. That
duty was undertaken by the Activities
Committee of the Association, and
some two weeks before the date of the
Contest set Of "Rules for Spelling
Contest" was mailed to the different
schools of the county. The two rules
governing entries we're as follows:
/. Each room composed of pupils
doing the same grade of work shall be
entitled to two representatives in the
County Contest.
2. Each contestant must be pu-
pill who began the work of his pres
ent grade last September for the first
time.
Much dissatisfaction developed as
result of the Interpretation and ap-
plication of the above rules. The
first was so utterly ambiguous that
it was not possible to determine the
representation that each school was
entitled to send. However, the chair
man of the Activities Committee in
terpreted the rule to limit the num-
Der of Representatives from any single
room to maximum of two pupils,
while another member of the Commit
tee confessed that he did not know the
meaning of the rule. By the Chair
of the county were allotted large
number of contestants per grade,
while the smaller schools were allow
ed much smaller representation.
This is entirely contrary to all pre-
cedents in inter-school activities and
Pennington teachers vigorously pro-
tested the ruling and requested equal
mans Interpretation the large schools
of the county were allotted large
number of contestants per grade,
while the smaller schools were allowed
a much smaller representation. This
is entirely contrary to all presidents
in inter-school activities and Farm
ington teachers vigorously protested
the ruling and requested equal repre-
sentation for all schools entered re-
CARELESS of the number of pupils en-
rolled in any grade. 1t seems that the
committee refused to allow that
change in the regulations, but the
Pennington teachers were assured, in
very general terms, that Pennington
would be allowed to enter as many
contestants per grade as any other
school, regardless Of the fact that the
rule as interpreted would have grant
ed but two pupils in some grades
where the larger school had entered
eight. With the understanding that
other schools in the county had been
granted that privilege, Pennington
selected and took to the contest suf-
fcient spellers and alternates to meet
the condition. 1t happened that some
Of the otheS schools of about the same
enrolment as Pennington had en-
tered and taken to the contest just
two contestants per grade. lockwood,
Bismarck and Elvins fell in the group.
The inequality of representation
caused great dissatisfaction. and much
earnest protest but the committee re-
fused to change the Interpretation or
allow equal representation for all
schools. However. through the viGor-
Gus argument of Farmington's grade
teachers and the fairness of the Flat
River grade teachers in charge Of the
various rooms in which the different
contests were being held, Pennington
was permitted to enter a sufficient
number of pupils to e1ual that of any
school present. While Pennington
orJ +bo 1orrra,. cohoo1s nf 4ba no,,yIS,
including Flat River and Bonnie Terre,
had representation of four pupils
in the eighth, seventh and sixth
grades the other schools had only two
in each grade. The inequality was ev-
en- more noticeable in the fourth and
fifth grades where the more favorable
schools had as many as eight pupils
per grade to the two of the unfavored
schools. 1t should be said to the cred
It of the Bonnie Terre representatives
that they did not demand such an in
depreciation OF the rules, and SC FIR
as the writer was able to determine
no one outside of the Activities Com
mittee was in favor of that rule, or
even attempted to argue its justice.
Harmony and rood will seemed to
prevail in the different rooms where
the actual spelling took place and
with one exception the words selected
were satisfactory to all teachers con-
cerned. In the primary grade, where
spelling is not generally stressed, and
the words, usually selected for. use in
that grade; are chosen with great care
and with due regard for sound peda-
gogical principles, there was some dis
satisfaction. Here. as in other de-
partments. each teacher with pupils
entered was allowed TO select her pro
rata of words. In all other depart
ments if any teacher objected to any
word submitted that word was
promptly dropped, without protest,
However, in the primary department