There are so many students doing incredible things in our district, including Geoffrey Smith, a 5th grader at Vivian Elementary. As a deaf student, there are sure to be set-backs from time to time, but he didn’t let that stop him from winning the 2020 Wheat Ridge Regional Spelling Bee!
Geoffrey Smith was one of the two students representing Vivian Elementary at the recent competition, which was held on February 5th at Wilmore-Davis Elementary. There were two student representatives from every school present, with approximately 20 competitors total.
“After winning the spelling bee, I felt shocked. I worked hard and practiced by myself. I felt really excited,” says Geoffrey.
Finalists from the regional spelling bees are set to compete in the upcoming 80th Annual Colorado State Spelling Bee, to be held on March 14th. Every year, over 270 top spellers in grades 4-8 from across the state come together at the University of Denver to compete for the title of Colorado State Spelling Bee Champion. The state winner will move on to represent Colorado in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is held near Washington D.C. and televised live on ESPN.
“I am so proud of Geoffrey’s hard work in both the school bee and Wheat Ridge Area spelling bee,” says Vivian Elementary Principal Michael Zweifel. “He is an amazing student and will do great in the state spelling bee. All of the students and staff here at Vivian are so excited for Geoffrey and this opportunity."