MUS Local Spelling Bees    2010-2011

 1.  We will have two qualifying spelling bees in October and November with all contestants.  Both will be in the lower-school lecture hall. 

 2.  The MUS champion will be selected from the top three spellers in each qualifying bee.  If the same speller places first in the two qualifying bees, he will be the champion.   Otherwise, the six spellers who placed first, second, and third in each qualifying bee will have a spell-off during a lower-school assembly in December.

 3.  In all bees, the spelling of words will be oral only.  The pronouncer will give each speller a word (including definition, sentence, and language of origin if asked for) from a guide published by the National Spelling Bee.  If the speller spells the word correctly, he will remain in competition.  If he misspells the word, he will be eliminated from competition and the next word on the list will be given to the next speller. 

 4.  When the spellers have been reduced to two, a misspelled word and the next word on the list must both be spelled correctly by the remaining speller to win.  If the misspelled word is misspelled again by the second speller, both spellers will remain in competition. If the second speller correctly spells the missed word but misspells the next word, that next word will be given to the first speller, who must spell that word correctly and the next word on the list to win. If the same word is misspelled by both spellers, they both will remain in competition.

 5.  A speller may ask the pronouncer to say the word again, define it, and/or use it in a sentence. 

 6.  Having started to spell a word, a speller may stop and start over, retracing the spelling from the beginning, but in retracing there can be no change of letters or their sequence from those first said.  If the letters or their sequence is changed in the respelling, the speller will be eliminated.

 7.  A speller has the responsibility to determine the identity of a word by asking for a definition or a sentence before he completes the spelling of the word.  For example, if the word given is discreet, the speller must determine, by asking for a definition or a sentence, that the word is discreet and not discrete. A speller will be eliminated from competition if he misspells the word given but correctly spells a homonym (sound-alike word).

 8.  The spelling guide from which the words are taken will be the final authority for the spelling of all words.  The pronouncer/judge’s decisions will be final.  Any question or challenge about being eliminated from competition must be made immediately or it will not be considered.  A speller may be eliminated for any disruption of the bee.

 9.  All spellers must be MUS students in the 7^th- or 8^th-grade and must remain so between   October 2010 and  March 2010 to represent MUS in the Memphis-Shelby County Bee at the Shrine Temple.