Broward spelling whiz’s word to describe national bee suspension: Conundrum
UPDATE: On April 21, 2020, Scripps National Spelling Bee announced that it will cancel this year’s competition, saying “there is no clear path to safely set a new date in 2020.” This means eighth-graders, including Simone Kaplan of Davie, will not get their final chance to take the trophy.
Original story:
For nearly a year, Simone Kaplan has gotten up at 5 every morning so she could review her vocabulary, learn roots of words and take practice spelling quizzes before school.
Her signature bee skirts, tops and dresses have already been made and are hung neatly on a wardrobe rack in the guest bedroom of her Davie home.
Simone, the spelling whiz who came in ninth place at the Scripps National Spelling Bee last year, still holds onto the hope that she will be able to end her spelling career as the champ.
“It would be devastating if I didn’t get a chance to go to the Bee and represent my school and my city,” said the eighth-grader at St. Bonaventure School, a Catholic school in Davie. “I really hope I get the chance to bring home the trophy.”
On March 20, organizers of what would have been the 93rd Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland, said the Bee would be suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Bee recognizes the important responsibility to take action that protects the health and well-being of its participants including the spellers, their families, the local sponsors, employees of The E.W. Scripps Co. and others who support the event known as Bee Week,” Scripps said in a press release.
The Bee was supposed to be held the week of May 24. Simone hadn’t competed in the local competition yet — the Miami Herald Broward Spelling Bee was scheduled for March 17 but it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Valerie Miller, a spokeswoman for the National Bee, said no final decision has been made on how they will proceed. They’re considering several options, including pushing the Bee back to later in the year. If the Bee were to take place later in the year, Simone and other eighth-graders (eighth grade is the last year students can participate) would be able to compete.
“This was a difficult decision that unfortunately will disappoint students who have spent a great deal of time studying and preparing, along with their parents and teachers who have supported them,” Scripps said. “The focus now shifts to exploring all options to possibly reimagine a competition for later this year.”
While Simone remains focused studying and thinking positively, her mother Alana Kaplan said she couldn’t help but be angry at the situation. One thing that keeps Simone focused is an online bee by SpellPundit, which will be held the same week Scripps would have been.
“She has worked so hard for this,” Kaplan said.
Simone, 14, was in the fifth grade when the then 11-year-old first spelled her way to the National Bee by winning the Miami Herald Broward Spelling Bee with the word Dorado, a constellation in the southern sky.
In last year’s Bee, Simone was one of 16 finalists to make it to the final round, which is normally aired on ESPN. She made it through 14 rounds before being eliminated by the word, tettigoniid, which stems from the word Tettigoniidae, the name of a large insect family whose best-known member is the long-horned grasshopper. She missed it by one letter.
She was the last contestant eliminated before the eight remaining spellers were declared co-champions, the first group to share the title in the Bee’s 92-year history. That meant Simone placed ninth.
She was a favorite to win this year.
“She was the last one out before the group that won last year,” said Lisa Kempinski, principal of St. Bonaventure School. “She was very close.”
Kempinski said the pandemic has impacted all academic and athletic competitions, which is hard on all of the students. She hopes that some — including the spelling bee — will be postponed, not canceled. She said the school has rallied behind Simone and “it’s a big deal,” for everyone.
The word Simone used to describe the situation: Conundrum, defined by Merriam-Webster as “an intricate and difficult problem.”
“This is all a bit of a conundrum,” she said. “We’ve never seen this happen before. No one knows how long it will last and no one is sure what will happen with the Bee.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
