2020 PAGE Spelling Bee Event FAQs
(If you're looking for our registration FAQs, please click here.)
What rules do I need to know? In general, the rules are simple. No one can help or coach spellers during the tournament. Issues must be reported prior to leaving the building. More complicated situations are covered in full by Scripps. We do encourage all spellers and their parents or guardians to review the rules that govern our bee. You can find them here. |
Who participates?
A single champion of a school-wide spelling bee can compete in the 2020 PAGE bee if:
When is the spelling bee?
This year's spelling bee is Saturday, March 14, 2020 at the McKimmon Center, 1101 Gorman St., Raleigh. See details here.
When do I need to arrive?
Registration begins at 8:15. The bee begins promptly at 9:00 AM. We recommend arriving no later than 8:30 AM to shake off the nerves and get the lay of the land.
What do I wear?
We will provide a t-shirt to all spellers at the event. Spellers should change into the shirts and place their speller numbers on the front of the shirt.
How does the day work?
Spellers will find their seats and get ready for the bee to begin. All spellers should be in their seats by 8:55 AM. (There will be volunteers throughout the day to help you know where to go.)
At 9:00 AM, the written portion of the spelling bee will begin. The first portion consists of 25 multiple choice questions. Volunteers will take these pages after a 20-minute time period. Vocabulary questions are multiple choice. Some ask the speller to identify the appropriately spelled word to fill in a blank in the sentence. Another set gives a definition and asks the speller to choose the word being defined.
After the vocabulary portion, there is a 25-question written spelling test. Following this test, students have a 10-15 minute break, and then oral rounds begin. Each student crosses the stage and is given one word to spell.
Following the completion of the oral round, the graders tally the top 20 (up to 25 allowing for ties) to advance to the finals round. The exact time of the finals round depends on the morning schedule and a lunch break.
Where can I find information to study for the bee?
Visit the national spelling bee online home. The Parents & Students tab has resources for preparation. Merriam-Webster's dictionary is the official dictionary of the bee and will be the final authority on correct spellings.
Will all words at the bee be in the study materials?
No. Words at the bee are from Scripps, and they are not guaranteed to be available in study materials. Focus on learning word lists but also looking at prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
Can people come to watch?
Absolutely! Visitors may sit in the auditorium during the written portion. During the oral rounds, the audience will be able to see all spellers. The oral round typically begins around 10 to 10:30 AM.
What do I need to bring with me?
If you do not return the photo permission release by email before the Bee, please bring it with you. Otherwise, you don't need to bring anything. In fact, you cannot take anything with you into the written portion of the Bee.
Are there any forms I need to complete?
We do have a photo release. Please have a parent or guardian sign and email it to info@wakepage.org or bring a signed copy to the Bee. If you forget, don't worry. We'll have extras available.
Where can I park?
The McKimmon Center has a dedicated parking lot with plenty of spots for you to park.
Can parents leave during the written portion?
Each student must have one parent or guardian on site with them. While the students complete the written portions, they will be in a different room than spectators.
What about lunch?
The sponsorship funds we received this year were just enough for the venue rental, shirts, and the Scripps fee. In the future, we'd love to be able to fund lunch. For now, there are ample places to eat on Western Boulevard within a mile of McKimmon.
How can we help out the spelling bee?
We're glad you asked! PAGE is an all-volunteer organization, and we host the bee and our Super Saturday events, which is a day of workshops geared toward gifted K-8 students held in April/May and October each year. We always welcome help with planning any of these events and have jobs large and small if you'd like to help out.
We also need money. The spelling bee is a massive financial undertaking for such a small organization. It costs around $7,500 each year with the largest costs being the venue, t-shirts, and the local sponsorship fee we owe to Scripps.
When is the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
National Finals Bee Week 2020 will take place the week of Memorial Day, May 24 through May 29, at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Our exact competition days will be available at spellingbee.com beginning May 1, 2020.
What if I have other questions?
Email info@wakepage.org with questions.
A single champion of a school-wide spelling bee can compete in the 2020 PAGE bee if:
- The student is from a school or registered homeschool in Edgecombe, Franklin, Hoke, Nash, Sampson, Vance, Wake, or Wayne County, NC
- The school registered at www.spellingbee.com by the deadline preceding the bee (and paid the required fee to Scripps)
- The school held a school-wide bee that followed the rules set out by Scripps and named a single champion (and registered that champion at spellingbee.com) by the stated deadline.
When is the spelling bee?
This year's spelling bee is Saturday, March 14, 2020 at the McKimmon Center, 1101 Gorman St., Raleigh. See details here.
When do I need to arrive?
Registration begins at 8:15. The bee begins promptly at 9:00 AM. We recommend arriving no later than 8:30 AM to shake off the nerves and get the lay of the land.
What do I wear?
We will provide a t-shirt to all spellers at the event. Spellers should change into the shirts and place their speller numbers on the front of the shirt.
How does the day work?
Spellers will find their seats and get ready for the bee to begin. All spellers should be in their seats by 8:55 AM. (There will be volunteers throughout the day to help you know where to go.)
At 9:00 AM, the written portion of the spelling bee will begin. The first portion consists of 25 multiple choice questions. Volunteers will take these pages after a 20-minute time period. Vocabulary questions are multiple choice. Some ask the speller to identify the appropriately spelled word to fill in a blank in the sentence. Another set gives a definition and asks the speller to choose the word being defined.
After the vocabulary portion, there is a 25-question written spelling test. Following this test, students have a 10-15 minute break, and then oral rounds begin. Each student crosses the stage and is given one word to spell.
Following the completion of the oral round, the graders tally the top 20 (up to 25 allowing for ties) to advance to the finals round. The exact time of the finals round depends on the morning schedule and a lunch break.
Where can I find information to study for the bee?
Visit the national spelling bee online home. The Parents & Students tab has resources for preparation. Merriam-Webster's dictionary is the official dictionary of the bee and will be the final authority on correct spellings.
Will all words at the bee be in the study materials?
No. Words at the bee are from Scripps, and they are not guaranteed to be available in study materials. Focus on learning word lists but also looking at prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
Can people come to watch?
Absolutely! Visitors may sit in the auditorium during the written portion. During the oral rounds, the audience will be able to see all spellers. The oral round typically begins around 10 to 10:30 AM.
What do I need to bring with me?
If you do not return the photo permission release by email before the Bee, please bring it with you. Otherwise, you don't need to bring anything. In fact, you cannot take anything with you into the written portion of the Bee.
Are there any forms I need to complete?
We do have a photo release. Please have a parent or guardian sign and email it to info@wakepage.org or bring a signed copy to the Bee. If you forget, don't worry. We'll have extras available.
Where can I park?
The McKimmon Center has a dedicated parking lot with plenty of spots for you to park.
Can parents leave during the written portion?
Each student must have one parent or guardian on site with them. While the students complete the written portions, they will be in a different room than spectators.
What about lunch?
The sponsorship funds we received this year were just enough for the venue rental, shirts, and the Scripps fee. In the future, we'd love to be able to fund lunch. For now, there are ample places to eat on Western Boulevard within a mile of McKimmon.
How can we help out the spelling bee?
We're glad you asked! PAGE is an all-volunteer organization, and we host the bee and our Super Saturday events, which is a day of workshops geared toward gifted K-8 students held in April/May and October each year. We always welcome help with planning any of these events and have jobs large and small if you'd like to help out.
We also need money. The spelling bee is a massive financial undertaking for such a small organization. It costs around $7,500 each year with the largest costs being the venue, t-shirts, and the local sponsorship fee we owe to Scripps.
When is the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
National Finals Bee Week 2020 will take place the week of Memorial Day, May 24 through May 29, at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Our exact competition days will be available at spellingbee.com beginning May 1, 2020.
What if I have other questions?
Email info@wakepage.org with questions.