001[music] >> All right, welcome [music] everyone. Thank you all for coming. My name is Steven Witzig. Like John introduced, I'm the co-chair for the DEF, and I know everyone just walked in and sat down, but if I could ask you to stand, we have Emma Tarik from the class of 2027 who's going to start us off with singing of our national anthem. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's [singing] last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly [singing] streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the
002free and the home of the brave? >> [applause and cheering] >> Thank you, Emma Tarik. Welcome everyone to the 13th annual DEF Spelling Bee. We thank you for your participation and attendance. We'd like to thank our generous sponsors and donors for their contributions. They are either flight sponsors, team sponsors, or contributed to our raffle prizes. Their names are in the program and on the poster as you arrived. So, let's So, please thank them and let's give them a round of applause for supporting the Bee. >> [applause] >> The Dartmouth Education Foundation is an endowed fund of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts, founded in 2007 to support public education in Dartmouth. It fills funding gaps by awarding annual teacher grants, often totaling between 15 and 20,000 dollars, for classroom materials, innovative technology, extracurricular projects, funded
003largely by this, our sole fundraiser, the Spelling Bee. So, this is the sole fundraiser that we use to support the teacher grant program. The portal will open soon, so stay tuned, all you teachers, for an application link. And then remember to get your application in. We'll have that link open for at least a month and it should be live in in very shortly. Let's thank Emma Tarik again, class of 2027, for singing the national anthem. Beautiful. >> [applause] >> And thank you to DHSTV Media and CCT for their support of the DEF and the Spelling Bee. >> [applause] >> Now, we want to make sure that nobody is cheating, and so we're going to have somebody go around and collect all of your cell phones. So, hold up your cell phones and we're going to
004put those Take it out. Hold up your cell phone. We're going to have someone come around and grab your cell phones. Okay, now while you have them out, silence them. We don't want them going off or ringing or buzzing. We're not actually going to collect them. That was an April Fools' joke there, but please silence your cell phone so that we don't have distractions there. All right, so I'd like to next introduce the DEF Advisory Council. My name is Dr. Steven Witzig. I'm the co-chair along with Dr. John Sousa, who's also the co-chair. We have Mike Mattos, who we we recognize. Pedro Casti- Mike's our treasurer. >> [applause] >> We've got Pedro Castanera, who's our secretary. Dr. June Saba Maguire, who's here somewhere, superintendent. Dr. Ross Tibo, who's on a team. Beth Coughlin, our school
005committee member. >> [applause] >> Deidre Hart. Barbara Cordero. Hadassa Vierra, who's our student member and is on a team this year. And Nate Nate Watson. >> [applause] >> I'd like to introduce We have two judges this year who's going to be make sure that you that you're all spelling the words correctly. We've got Andy Cristofoli, the director of athletics, health and physical education. >> [applause] >> Raise your hand. And we have Ian Flint. Ian Ian Flint, the director of fine arts. Yeah. >> [applause] >> All right. Reminder, everyone should have a yellow ticket for our door prizes. We're going to be awarding door prizes from some of our uh Dartmouth area businesses that have donated these prizes uh in between flights. So, after flight one, after flight two, and the last prize will be awarded
006right before the championship round. You need to be present to win, and the the the grand prize is uh a Kindle a Paperwhite Kindle. So, that's kind of cool right in time for reading on the beach. Um Yep, so did everyone get a ticket? Raise your hand if you don't have a ticket. We've got some extras and we'll come around and make sure that everyone has a ticket. Yep, thank you, Bess. Yes. All right. Now on to the spelling bee rules. This is a team competition. Each team consists of three members, although I have heard that there might be a few teams that just have two members, so extra work for them. Uh four to five teams will compete at a time on the stage in what we call flights. The team members will work
007together to puzzle out the spelling of each word. Each team has a dry erase board which to write their answer and to review its spelling uh before you show the answer. The competing teams will have 30 seconds to write an answer on their individual dry erase boards. All teams will show their answers at the end of the jingle or when I call time. So, there's a little stand there that you can put your your word on or you can just hold it up, but hold it up long enough so that our judges can can can make sure that you've got the word spelled correctly. All right. Uh we're going to use the first spelling in either the Merriam-Webster's online dictionary or dictionary.com as the correct answer. Um and if it's not the first spelling I
008I'd use some other form of of of strategy to figure out the spelling that we have, but it's the it's the standard spelling the like the standard spelling for the words, okay? Um should a team, this is important, should a team give an incorrect answer, you're going to lower one of your flags. Notice that each table has two flags. Uh when you have a if you give us a second incorrect answer, you're going to lower your second flag and then turn over your placard. That team is out of the competition, but you're going to remain on the stage for the duration of the flight, okay? There's going to be a single winner of each flight. The last team with their flags still up will go on to the final competition. There's going to be five
009flights and so five winners will advance to the championship round. In the championship round, the competition will be double elimination. A team must spell the final word correctly to win. So, if the final teams misspell their final word, another word will be given until there's only one team that has spelled the word correctly, and that team becomes the champion. Are we ready? We're ready? All right. Flight one, I'm going to call you down. Flight one is sponsored by Lima Construction and Seashore Marine Services. Let's give them a round of applause. We have the Lexicon Legends from DeMello sponsored by Environmental Pools. >> [applause] >> We have the Alphabets, aka Can I Get a High Definition? Uh a group of DHS students sponsored by Fit by Nima. >> [applause] >> We've got Help which is a
010group of DHS students sponsored by Michael and Michelle Maddox. And we have AI before E from the district office sponsored by the Central Office Leadership Team. >> [applause] [applause] >> Familiarize yourself with what's up there. In addition to the dry erase boards, you've got some notepads and some pens to scratch out to scratch down some ideas to hand to the person who's going to be your scribe. Ready? All right, flight one. The first word is first. It's an adjective. First, being before being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance. First. This first word in the DHS spelling bee should be an easy one for everyone to spell. First. All right, pens down. Reveal your answers. Everyone spelled it right? Great. The second word. Separate. It's a verb. Separate or separate. To keep
011apart or divide as by intervening barrier or space. Separate or separate. The teachers kept the pop quiz in a folder separate from the classroom lesson plans. Separate. Pens down. Reveal your answers. So, if you if you've misspelled the word, put one of your flags down. >> [laughter] >> Was that just one team? That was one team? All right. Third word. Judgment. It's a noun. Judgment. The forming of an opinion, estimate, notion, or conclusion as from circumstances presented to the mind. Judgment. Our judgment as to the cause of his failure must rest on the evidence. Judgment. Judgment without an E. All right. Are we ready for word four? Conscience. It's a noun. Conscience. The inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives. Conscience. The boy followed his conscience and decided not
012to steal candy from the store. Conscience. Pens down. Reveal your spelling. All set? All right. For your next word tarmac. It's a noun. A road, airport runway, parking area, etc. paved with a layer of tar. Tarmac. The people were asked to exit the airplane onto the tarmac due to an emergency on board. Tarmac. Pens down. Reveal your answer. Everyone? All right. For your sixth word ibuprofen or ibuprofen. A drug that reveal relieves pain and reduces inflammation. Ibuprofen. Complaining of a headache, the woman took two ibuprofen and lay down for a rest. Ibuprofen. Pens down. Reveal your spelling. We set? All right, word seven is incendiary. It's an adjective. Tending to arouse strife, sedition, etc. Incendiary. The incendiary speech at the protest led to the riots. Incendiary. What What do you write? No. Okay. We have
013a winner? >> [applause] >> Which team? >> [cheering] >> The Lexicon Legends have won flight one. Congratulations, Lexicon Legends. >> [applause] >> Yes. All right, while we're while we're while they're returning to their seats, we're going to do the first raffle draw. The first raffle draw is for a DYFL swag bag of a scarf and a blanket. Yeah. Do you want to say it? Yeah. Ticket number 1 8 9 3 0 4. 1 8 9 3 0 4. Uh going once. Must be present to win. 1 8 9 3 0 4. Going twice. Too Too bad, so sad. >> [laughter] >> 1 8 9 1 2 2. I know. 1 8 9 1 2 2. Oh. Hey! We have a winner. Oh. Yep. We have a second prize in this in this round. It's also
014um DYFL gear. It's a uh sweatshirt. There's a sticker and a bag, maybe some other mis- and a t-shirt. Yes. Are they all winning? 1 8 9 1 1 7. >> [applause] [cheering] >> All right. Congratulations. Our flight two is sponsored by D. Schumacher Landscaping Companies. Let's give them a round of applause for sponsoring this flight. >> [applause] >> And for teams, we have the Hipbees from Potter, sponsored by the Dartmouth Fincom. We have the Impossible Schoolers, a Dartmouth High Theater Company team, >> [screaming] >> sponsored by Dr. Mark Milano. We have the Super Nerdio Brothers from DHS, sponsored by Dartmouth Heritage and Lyons Law Group. And we have the Word Warriors, a DHS team, sponsored by Nat and Ellie Watson. >> [applause] [cheering] >> Oh, this is a DMS That's a DMS team. Yeah.
015I might have said the Word Warriors are a DHS team, but they are in fact a DMS team representing Dartmouth Middle School. All right, you can go with the answers. Teams ready? Your first word is simple. It's an adjective. Too easy to understand, deal with, or use. Simple. The opening word in this flight should be a simple one to spell. Simple. Pens down. Reveal your answers. Simple. >> [applause] [cheering] >> All right. They get harder, folks. All right, for your second word, the word is February. It's a noun. The second month of the year. February. February in New England can have some wicked snowstorms. February. Pens down. Reveal your answer. Thank you. All ready? Your third word is broccoli. It's a noun. Broccoli. A form of cultivated cruciferous plant whose leafy stalks and clusters of
016usually green buds are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli or broccoli. The child did not want to eat their broccoli and preferred chicken nuggets. Broccoli or broccoli. Pens down. Reveal your answers. Two C's in broccoli. Everyone's got it. Your fourth word is pronunciation. It's a noun. The act or result of producing the sounds of speech, including articulation, stress, intonation, often with reference to some standard of correctness or acceptability. Pronunciation. I hope my pronunciation of the spelling bee words is acceptable to all of the teams. Pronunciation. Pens down. Reveal your responses. Okay, so we got one. For your fifth word, spell mosquito. It's a noun. Mosquito. Any of the numerous dipterous insects of the family Culicidae, of the females which suck the blood of the animals and humans, some species transmitting certain diseases as malaria and yellow
017fever. Mosquito. After a long hike in the woods, the family was covered in mosquito bites. Put it up. Put it back. Mosquito. I'll say it. >> [cheering] >> For your sixth word, spell basilisk. It's a noun. Basilisk. A creature variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon said to kill by its breath or look. Basilisk. Harry Potter in the Chamber of Secrets was able to communicate with the basilisk by speaking with it in Parseltongue. Basilisk. Pens down. Reveal your responses. >> [laughter] >> They're not even going to show us your word. >> [applause] >> One team out. All right. Ready? For your seventh word, spell phalanges. It's a noun. Phalanges. The plural form of phalanx, any of the bones of the fingers or toes. Phalanges. The forensic scientist is good at identifying human bones but
018says that human phalanges can sometimes be difficult to tell from other animals. Phalanges. Pens down. >> [applause] >> Everyone was right? For your eighth word, spell lozenge. It's a noun. Lozenge. A small flavored tablet made from sugar or syrup, often medicated, originally diamond-shaped. Lozenge. The singer took a cherry lozenge for their scratchy throat to save their voice for the big concert. Lozenge. Pens down. All right. Okay. For your ninth word, ready? Spell bereavement. It's a noun. Bereavement. A period of mourning after a loss, especially after the death of a loved one. Bereavement. The widow had many visitors during her bereavement. Is that Team went out and one flag. Okay. Yeah. All right. For your We have two teams left? All right. For your 10th word, spell Resilience. It's a noun. The ability of a system
019or organization to respond to or recover readily from a crisis, disruptive or disruptive process. Resilience. Cities can build resilience to climate change by investing in infrastructure. Resilience. There's Is there three teams? All right. Okay. Both correct? For your 11th word, spell minuscule. It's an adjective. Very small. Minuscule. The minuscule font proved difficult to read without magnification. Minuscule. Pens down. Both teams? But they have a flag. Yeah? >> [applause and cheering] >> Is that the Hippies? Congratulations to the Hippies. >> [applause] >> And Impossible Schoolers, you guys put up a great fight. Yeah. All right. We got another round of raffles. Oh, you want me to talk? Oh, yes. Good. Okay. Uh the first one is to the Buttonwood Park Zoo. It's a membership. The year, right? Yes. A year A year membership. Ticket number 189259.
020>> [cheering] >> And the second one is a membership to the Lloyd Center with some other swag. >> Cooler bag. Oh, it's a cooler bag. >> It's a cooler bag, a t-shirt, a mouse pad. >> pad. Yeah. 189288. 288. No? Mhm. 189112. Should throw fake Should we just throw fake ones in here? Say it again. 189112. Going once. Oh. >> [laughter] >> It's written in the front of the hall. All right. >> [applause] >> All right. Our flight three is sponsored by the Fiber Optic Center. Let's give the Fiber Optic Center a round of applause for their sponsorship. >> [applause] >> And in this flight, we've got the Potter Peeps from Potter, sponsored by Southcoast Smiles Pediatric Dentistry. We have the Sunshine Bees, which is a Dartmouth High Theater Company team, sponsored by the Cassin
021and Herrera family. >> [applause] >> We have the Permanent Records, which is our DHS admin team, sponsored by Anonymous. >> [applause] >> And there's some debate over the name of this next team. I think it's B squared. It's a DHS team. It is in fact B squared, sponsored by the Bala family. Come on up. >> [applause and cheering] >> And according according to your program, that's it. But we have a super secret team that is entered into this flight known as the Three Spellketeers. They are DHS students and they are actually the reigning champions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. So, let's welcome them to the stage as our super secret team. >> [applause and cheering] >> For the rest of the teams on the stage sweating, April fools. They just signed up today and
022we didn't have them in the program, but we welcome them to the stage. Teams ready? For your first word, spell snap. It's an adjective. Snap. Easy or simple. Snap. The spelling of this word should be a snap. Pens down. Reveal your answers. Hold them up. You said snap. They heard snap? Yeah, the sentence and the yeah. Okay. All right. All right. For your second word, spell calendar. It's a noun. Calendar. A table or register with the days of each month and week in a year. Calendar. The school calendar will likely be extended this year due to all of the snow days this winter. Calendar. Yeah. Calendar. Pens down. Hold up your cards. >> [screaming] >> You got it, Mike? Ready? Ready, teams? For your third word, spell embarrass. It's a verb. Embarrass. To cause confusion
023and shame to. Embarrass. The spelling bee contestants did not want to embarrass themsel- themselves by misspelling this word. Embarrass. Pens down. Two Rs, two Ss. >> [cheering] >> Out. >> [applause] >> All right. For your fourth word, spell existence. It's a noun. Existence. A state or fact of existing or being. Existence. The local crab species was struggling for existence due to the influx of an invasive species. Existence. Pens down. All set? For your fifth word, spell ferocious. It's an adjective. Ferocious. Savagely fierce as a wild beast, person, action, or aspect. Ferocious. The male lion let out a ferocious roar to show claim of his territory. Ferocious. Pens down. Reveal your answer. For your sixth word, spell machete. It's a noun. Machete. A large heavy knife used in clearing underbrush and as a weapon. Machete. The
024farmer used the machete to prep the field for planting. Machete. Pens down. All right. For your seventh word, spell gingivitis. It's a noun. Gingivitis. It's the inflammation of the gums. Gingivitis. The two main types of gum disease are gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis. Pens down. Knocks them out. Two out. Did B squ- B squared have it? Or no, okay. Two teams left. All right. >> [applause] >> For your eighth word, spell factitious. It's an adjective. Factitious. Not spontaneous or natural. Artificial or contrived. Factitious. The factitious laughter in the TV show was obviously a laugh track. Factitious. Pens down. Both teams? Is that the the permanent records? >> [applause] >> That was That was a snap, wasn't it? Yeah. Yeah. >> [laughter] >> All right. Our next round of raffle prizes is we have two two gift
025cards. This is just a general Serve Well, right? Or is it That's Yeah, it's just Serve Well. So, we have a $50 gift card to Bush Quality Cleaners. >> [applause] >> And the next one is $75 to Serve Well Hospitality. >> [applause] >> All right, moving on. Our fourth flight is sponsored by Sousa Family Orthodontics. Let's give a round of applause to Sousa Family Orthodontics. >> [applause] >> And our first team is the Spellcasters from DeMello, sponsored by Brum's Ultimate Repair. >> [cheering] >> We have the Spelling Fools, which are DHS students, sponsored by the Oral Surgery Associates. >> [applause] >> We have Vowels, the Lloyd Center team, sponsored by Doctors John and Peter Veale. And we have the Friday Morning Coffee Club, which is a group of teachers from Quinn, sponsored by Carol Ferguson.
026>> [cheering] [applause] >> Teams ready? The Vowels have a lot to set up down there. Yeah. All right, for your first word, spell picnic. It's an adjective. picnic This is slang for simple or easy. picnic The spelling of this first word in flight four is easy, simple, a snap. In other words, it should be a picnic for you. picnic Great job. For your second word, ready teams? Spell sponsorship. It's a noun. sponsorship An arrangement under which a company or individual helps fund a program or event in return for an opportunity to advertise. sponsorship The sponsorship of many local businesses and individuals make the DEF Spelling Bee and teacher grants possible. sponsorship >> [applause] >> For your third word, spell recommend It's a verb. To present as worthy of confidence, acceptance, or use. recommend The school
027librarian would often recommend a summer reading book for students. recommend One C, two M's. He tried to play it off like it was two M's. Teams ready? For your fourth word, spell unnecessary. It's an adjective. unnecessary Not essential. needless unnecessary Studying for the spelling bee is unnecessary when you have a ringer on your team. unnecessary Two N's, one C, two S's. >> [laughter] >> The day we got a team out. All right. >> [applause] >> Judges ready? Yeah? For your fifth word, spell immediately. It's an adverb. immediately Without lapse of time, without delay. immediately The Dartmouth High volleyball team celebrated immediately after the win. immediately Pens down. All good? All right. For your sixth word, spell doddle. It's a verb. doddle To waste time, idle, trifle, or loiter. doddle To keep their schedule on vacation,
028the parents told the kids not to doddle at the rest stop. doddle Pens down. All good? All right, teams ready? For your seventh word, spell oxygenate. It's a verb. oxygenate To treat, combine, or enrich with oxygen. oxygenate The cyclist in the Tour de France was disqualified for blood doping, an illegal strategy to oxygenate the blood to enhance performance. Oxygenate. All good? All right. For your eighth word, spell cabaret. It's a noun. Cabaret. A form of theatrical entertainment consisting mainly of political satire in the form of skits, songs, and improvisations. Cabaret. The cover charge at the restaurant includes dinner and a cabaret. Cabaret. Pens down. All good? For your ninth word, spell satchel. It's a noun. Satchel. A small bag sometimes with a shoulder strap. Satchel. The forager used a satchel to collect wild mushrooms. Satchel.
029t c h Everyone? >> [laughter] >> Coming back in. For your 10th word, ready teams? Spell [snorts] macaque. It's a noun. Macaque. Any of the Old World monkeys inhabiting wooded or rocky regions of Asia or Africa. Typically the tail is short or absent and cheek pouches are present. Macaque. The only way to see a macaque in the real life in the United States is at the zoo. Macaque. m a c a q u e The vowels got that? Yeah? Got a biologist on the team. Okay. For your For your 11th word, spell cicatrice or cicatrize. It's a verb. To close or closed by scar formation or to heal. Cicatrice or cicatrize. The doctor applied a special ointment to help the wound cicatrize without leaving a severe mark. Cicatrice or cicatrize. Cicatrice or cicatrize. No, because
030they still have a flag. The vowels have a flag. Is it the vowels? >> [applause] >> The vowels won. Congratulations, vowels. Fun fact, the vowels won 2 years ago. >> [laughter] >> All right. This is our last group of prizes before flight five. No, we've got one more We've got this prize and then one more prize before the championship round. Yep. So, this is a $100 gift card to the Sail Loft. So, I'm not going to say the 189, just the last three. 212. >> [applause] [cheering] >> All right, everyone. How are we doing? We have one more flight and then the championship round. So, this is deciding who's going on to the championship round. Flight five is sponsored by Silvia Group and Aleria Group company. So, let's give them a round of applause for
031their continued support of the Spelling Bee. >> [applause] >> The first team we have is the illumina- illuminators from Quinn, sponsored by Livy Laser Center. We have the Autonomous Spelling Systems, DHS students, sponsored by Simmons Concrete. We have the Beasts, sponsored by Dartmouth School Committee and self-sponsored. And we have the Last Minute Bees, a group of DHS students, sponsored by Brownell Boat Stands. >> [applause] >> Teams ready? Judges ready? For your first word, spell tough. It's an adjective. Tough. Requiring considerable physical or mental effort. Tough. Hopefully, the spelling of your first word is not tough. Tough. Pens down. Reveal your responses. That's what I like to see. Everyone get the first word under your belt. All right, they get harder, folks. For your second word, spell referred. It's a verb. Referred. Mention or allude to.
032Referred. The reports of the commission are often referred to in the media. Referred. >> [applause] >> Two teams. Yep, there's two. yeah. Teams ready? Judges ready? For your third word, spell consensus. It's a noun. Consensus. The majority of opinion. Consensus. I suggest your teams decide how to spell this word by consensus. Consensus. Hands down. Reveal your answer. >> [laughter] >> One One team. Yeah. One team, yeah. Teams ready? For your fourth word, spell committee. It's a noun. Committee. A group of persons elected or appointed to perform some service or function, as to investigate, report on, or act upon in a particular matter. Committee. The Dartmouth School Committee is a proud sponsor of the DEF Spelling Bee. Committee. Two M's, two T's, two E's. Everybody got it? For your fifth word, spell particularly. It's an adverb.
033Particularly. To an exceptional degree, especially. Particularly. The critic thought they were all good, but particularly the lead actor. Particularly. Hands down. Judges, all good? For your sixth word, spell minotaur or minotaur. It's a noun. In Greek mythology, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. Minotaur or minotaur. The contest between Theseus and the minotaur was frequently represented in Greek art. Minotaur or minotaur. Did they get it? Two teams left. All right. Great job, everyone. For your seventh word, spell fondant. It's a noun. Fondant. Thick, creamy sugar paste, the basis of many candies. Fondant. The wedding cake was adorned with white fondant and candy flowers. Fondant. Nicely done. For your eighth word, spell disheveled. It's a verb. Disheveled. To disarrange the hair or clothes of someone. Disheveled. After coming inside
034from playing in the rain, the kids looked disheveled. Disheveled. Nice job. Teams ready? For your ninth word, spell acetaminophen. It's a noun. Acetaminophen. A crystalline substance used to as a headache and pain reliever, used to reduce fever. Acetaminophen. In a recent press conference talking about Tylenol, President Trump had difficulty pronouncing acetaminophen. Acetaminophen. The Beasts have it. Last minute Bees? No? So, we have a winner then? The Beasts. >> [applause] >> All right, the Beasts can stay on the stage. And we have another round of our raffle, and then we will proceed to our championship round. So, please stick around for the championship round. All right, this is for the Kindle. 295. >> [applause] [cheering] >> All right. The moment we have all been waiting for, the championship flight sponsored by North Dartmouth Properties. Let's give
035them a round of applause. >> [applause] >> From our first round, we have the Lexicon Legends. From our second flight, we have the Hippies. From our third flight, we have the Permanent Records. From our fourth flight, we have Vowels. And from our fifth flight, the Beasts. Lexicon Legends. Teams ready? Judges ready? For your first word, spell gelato. It's a noun. Gelato. An Italian style ice cream containing almost no air, and thereby denser and richer than other ice creams. Gelato. A new gelato store opened in town, and the line was around the block. Gelato. >> Pens down. Reveal your responses. Everybody got it? All right. For your second word, spell phosphorescent. It's an adjective. Phosphorescent. Emitting light without combustion or perceptible heat. Phosphorescent. The phosphorescent plankton made the waves glow as they crashed on the beach.
036Phosphorescent. Pens down. Reveal your response. I think it's right. Yeah. Nicely done. For your third word, spell sycophant or sycophant. It's a noun. A person who uses flattery to win favor from individuals wielding influence. >> [snorts] >> Sycophant or sycophant. The office workers had enough with the actions of the sycophant, clearly trying to get on the good side of the boss. Sycophant or sycophant. We got one out here. Teams ready? For your fourth word, spell mademoiselle. It's a noun. Mademoiselle. A young unmarried French girl or woman, usually used as a title equivalent to miss. Mademoiselle Laurent was a new third grade teacher in a small suburb of Paris. Mademoiselle. Pens down. No, that's down. That's not good. That's not right. It wasn't right. Yep. Yep. Four teams. Teams ready? Judges ready? Spell colic. It's a
037noun. Colic. A condition characterized by acute spasmodic abdominal pain. Colic. The pediatrician prescribed a dose of medicine and recommended food options to help with the baby's colic. Colic. Everybody got it? For your sixth word, spell plagiarism. It's a noun. Plagiarism. Literary theft. Plagiarism. The use of AI is making instances of plagiarism rise in students' work and teachers are taking notice. Plagiarism. Everybody got it? Judges good? Or are we waiting? We're good. Okay. For your seventh word, spell cataclysmic. It's an adjective. Cataclysmic. Relating to or denoting a violent natural event. Cataclysmic. The cataclysmic earthquake devastated the small seaside community. Cataclysmic. All set? For your eighth word, we're ready. Judges ready? For your eighth word, spell claustrophobic. It's an adjective. Having an extreme or irrational fear of confined spaces. Claustrophobic. He had to take the stairs instead
038of instead of the elevator because he was claustrophobic. Pens down. Nice job, teams. For your ninth ninth word, spell abatis. It's a noun. Abatis. A tidal gate or dam to prevent the overflow of water into marshland. Abatis. The Army Corps of Engineers designed the abatis to protect the habitat of the endangered waterfowl. Abatis. We'll just have it We'll have a time. Just note Just note it. Yeah. Just note that. The teams that just went out on abatis. No, no, yours you're you You got it wrong, but you're still in. Those Yeah. Yeah. Two teams went out. Yeah. All right. So, how many teams left? Two teams left. All right. For your 10th word, spell succedaneum. It's a noun. A substitute, especially for a medicine or drug. Succedaneum. Many parents were relieved to hear that succedaneum
039for the over the only EpiPen currently available will soon be on the market. Succedaneum. All right, we need Both got it wrong, but we need to have them spell it right for the winner. So, we're going to continue on. Teams ready? For your 11th word, spell Scheherazadian. It's an adjective. Strangely fabulous. Scheherazadian. He couldn't take his eyes off the Scheherazadian coat that she was wearing. Scheherazadian. >> [cheering] >> Did the Vowels get it? Ah. All right. For your The 12th word, spell psittacine. It's an adjective. Psittacine. Of or relating to parrots. Psittacine. The baby was fascinated with psittacine feathers. Psittacine. So close. All right. For your next word, try to spell Rijsttafel. It's a noun. An Indonesian meal consisting of rice and a variety of accompanying dishes. Rijsttafel. When the visiting dignitaries arrived, he served
040a rijsttafel to impress them. Rijsttafel. There's a J in there. >> [laughter] >> All right, that's all the championship words I have. So, we're going to a tiebreaker round. And for those the the two teams that went out in third place, we're going to do a run-off tiebreaker for the third place team after we get to crown the winner, okay? So, be prepared for a run-off for third. All right. They get a little easier now. For your first tiebreaker word, spell faux. It's an adjective. Faux. Artificial or imitation, fake. Faux. We would have had to start this We would have to start now. It would have been confusing, too. F A U X. All right. For your second word, spell akaryote. It's a noun. Akaryote. A cell lacking a nucleus. Akaryote. A bacterial cell is
041an example of an akaryote because it does not have a nucleus like plant and animal cells. Akaryote. Pens down. Did the Vowels get it? >> [cheering] [applause] [cheering] >> Congratulations, Vowels, for first place. And congratulations to the Beasts for second place. We're going to now going to have a run-off for third place with the two teams that went out together. Which What were those teams? Raise your hand. Put one Put one flag up. The other The other two teams can take your flags down just so we're not confused. Yeah. We know you're first and second. All right. Tiebreaker A. Yeah. All right. Our first run-off word is megahertz. It's a noun. Megahertz. A unit of frequency equal to 1 million cycles per second. Megahertz. Did they get it? Both teams Both teams got it? Are
042they both got Okay. For your second word, spell Evanescent. It's an adjective. Vanishing, fading away, or fleeting. Evanescent. We would have missed the evanescent moment if not for the photographer's speed and skill. Evanescent. >> [cheering] >> Do we have a winner? The [applause] The Permanent Records third place? All right, congratulations teams. We have the vowels first place, the beasts second place, and the permanent records in third. >> [applause] [cheering] >> With the hippies fourth and Lexicon Legends fifth. Thank you all for coming. We'll see you next year and please be on the lookout for the the teacher grant application that will be coming via your email. For the winning teams, please come forward for a photo opportunity. And thank you everyone for sticking around. Tie breaker A, where did