Another chance to attend the bee
<p>Kendall Foster, 14, center, and his pals Jayden Whitney, 13, left, and Isaac Lunnen, 13, made a video for the Kindle Spellebrity Video Contest to give them a second chance at attending the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. Click the “vote now” tab at <a href="http://www.spellingbee.com" target="_blank">www.spellingbee.com</a> and find the “Kendall Kindles” team to vote for their video.</p>
The 2015 North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee champion didn't advance as far as he hoped in the local bee rounds this year, so he's seizing an opportunity for a second chance to attend the national contest.
Kendall Foster, 14, and friends Jayden Whitney, 13, and Isaac Lunnen, 13, otherwise known as the "Kendall Kindles" team, submitted a short film to Kindle's "Spellebrity Video Contest," which will award the teams with the top five videos expense-paid trips to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
The friends, all Canfield Middle School eighth-graders, created a video that spelled out former spelling bee champ Kendall's love of reading. The two-minute film is infused with humor and emphasizes the positive things that go along with literacy — knowledge, understanding and even a bit of a "spellebrity" status.
"I'm feeling pretty good about it," Kendall said Tuesday. "I think we can make it and I think we might be able to win this thing. It’s inspiring. I think it can help people to read more."
The friends have already won Kindle Paperwhite e-readers for being semifinalists in the top 10 of the contest. If they make it to the top five, they receive a trip for each team member and a guardian, hotel stay, a $400 gift card for travel and food expenses and complimentary tickets to the National Zoo Experience, a Bee-organized tour of D.C. and admission to the awards banquet.
If the "Kendall Kindles" team is the grand champion, each member also wins $1,000 cash and a trophy.
"Just getting into the top five is all I really want," Jayden said. "My aunt and uncle live in D.C. and I never get to see (them) so that would mean so much to me. It would also be my first real time in an airplane and I have been wanting to see the country from the sky since I was very young. If I do get first, I would put the $1,000 in my bank account for a car and college."
Kendall's mom, Tricia Foster, said Kendall is really excited to bring friends with him this year after having such an amazing spelling bee experience last year.
"He sees a challenge and he goes for it," she said. "He’s going to fight his way there this year."
Voting goes until 9 p.m. Friday (midnight EST) with a quick login process. To vote for team "Kendall Kindles," visit www.spellingbee.com and click on the "vote now" and "vote" tabs.
Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1306886945994720/