The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-02-29
HOOSIER Event
IN CONJUNCTION
With NATIONAL
Plans Made for Indiana'S
Contests, Beginning
March 9.
WINNERS TO GET TRIP
Boy or Girl viii Be Sent
to Washington for Final
Competition.

OUIIIpCtISIOIIs
The fifth annual National Spell
ing Bee was inaugurated today by
The Indianapolis Times in collabo-
ration with the Louisville Courier
journal.
The first round Of the Marion
County spelling will be held March
9 under the direction of The Times
and Lee v. Swails, Marion County
superintendent ofg schools. The In
dlanapolis schools will hold the
initial contest the same day under
the direction of Miss Flora E. Drake,
assistant superintendent Of schools.
At the same time about twenty
counties in Indiana will choose the
best speller in each fifth, sixth,
seventh and eigth grade room in the
county. Parochial schools in Indiana
will select room winners on the same
date.
Endorsed by Leaders
The spelling bee both in the State
and nation practically has become
an institution from an educational
standpoint. Roy P. Wisehart, State
superintendent of schools, has in
dorsed the contest and is giving it
his active backing.
Other endorSers include John j.
Tigert, United States commissioner
of education, and S. D. Shankland
and j. E. Morgan of the National
Education Association, Wash gton,
D. G.
Contests rules and mann r of
choosing the winner are not compli-
Gated and we're designed primarily
for convenience in conducting the
contest and increasing spelling &C
/ curacy among students.
Elimination Bees Planned
One winner in each room of each
public and parochial school will be
selected March 9 in an old-fashioned
''spell-doWn." These winners will
be eliminated until one student re-
mains as the building champion.
The building contest will be held
March 16.
Then on March 80 the champion
from each building will meet in an
elimination which will leave one
pupil as county champion. One
student will be named Marion
County champion outside Indian
apohs. But because of the large
enrolment in this city, eight school
zones have been made, and one
champion will be named from each
zone. That will leave nine students
as champions of their section of the
community. One champion only
will be named from each of the
other counties in Indiana.
The State championship contest
will be held May in Indianapolis
under the direction of The Times.
All Of the county winners and the
nine winners in Marion County will
meet in the final elimination.
Winner Gets Washington Trip
The boy or girl crowned Indiana
champion will be sent to Washing
ton, D. c., about May % to enter
the national contest to uphold the
State against contestants from
forty-seven other States. In addition
to the free trip and entertainment
at Washington, the Indiana cham
pion will be eligible to $4,000 in
cash prizes. Although the winner
will be advised to use the money for
educational purposes, there will be
no Strings tied to the award"
The Mccall speller, the standard
text book in Indiana, will be used in
all contests Words we're selected
by committee of educational
authorities and newspaper editors.
Simple grade school words are used
in the list, and all obsolete and
catch words have been eliminated.
The national spelling bee was
conceived by the Louisville Courier
Journal five years ago and was
taken up in Indiana by The Times
and in each county by progressive
and constructive newspapers. One
Of the leading papers IN each State
usually sponsors the contest.
Friendly Rivalry Created
Superintendents. principals and
teachers realize the Importance of
the spelling bee because of the aid
it Is to them in their work. 1t Gre
ates an interest in spelling among
pupils and develops a friendly
rivalry between communities such
as is fostered by the annual State
basketball tournament between high
schools.
In addition to sponsoring the In
dianapolis and Marion County con-
test, The Times is sponsoring the
Boone County contest with the as
sistance of G. o. Caplinger, Boone
County superintendent of schools.
Although the spelling bee is al
most State wide, there few coun-
ties still unrepresented. Many Of
these counties have short school
terms which will not allow them to
enter the contest with the present
dates used. Arrangements are being
made to handle these counties In
the 1929 contest, and to enter other
counties in this years bee under the
"last minute" rule plan.
Further announcements will ap-
pear in Thursdays Times.