G-o-o-d n-e-w-s, s-p-e-l-l-e-r-s

COEUR d'ALENE — Spellers, the game is back on.

Idaho Character Foundation signed an agreement Monday to sponsor the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee, with the Coeur d’Alene School District overseeing the event.

“The spelling bee helps students, as it did for me, to get out of their comfort zone, attempt to excel beyond previous limitations and defeats and improves one's character,” said Dan Pinkerton, co-founder of the ICF alongside his wife, Kathryn. “It's my hope that all North Idaho students fourth-to-eighth grade would accept our challenge to compete in local spelling bees and reap the many benefits that result from studying consistently and intently.”

The regional spelling bee was sponsored for 17 years by the Coeur d’Alene Press and overseen by North Idaho College. Last year, North Idaho College alone sponsored and oversaw the event, and announced in the fall it was retiring from the spelling bee. College officials asked for a new sponsor and coordinator to step up.

ICF, a nonprofit that promotes character throughout the community, signed an agreement with the Scripps National Spelling Bee to indefinitely sponsor the same five northern counties and provide the champion and their guardian an all-expense paid trip to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Pinkerton said that aside from the benefits he's seen in his children preparing for the spelling bee, his passion behind supporting the competition stems from his own experiences competing in spelling bees throughout school.

At 12, Pinkerton said he set a goal to win the spelling bee and compete at the state level. While he won locally and moved on to the Alaska state spelling bee, Pinkerton said he was eliminated in the first round on the word “heroine.”

“I was heartbroken to be one of the first out in the competition, but it helped me greatly in life to seek to continually improve and overcome defeat,” Pinkerton said. “It was all good for my character as I believe it is for North Idaho kids.”

In addition, Pinkerton said to encourage more school participation, ICF will pay 50% of the National Spelling Bee school registration fee as a reimbursement back to the schools registered by Sept. 30. They will also send a second place champion and their guardian on an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.’s National Spelling Bee if that second person makes it to the 20th round of the 2022 North Idaho Spelling Bee championship.

Coordination and communication for the 2022 Bee will be headed by Mike Nelson, director of assessments and system performance for Coeur d'Alene School District. Nelson has assembled a team to help with the daunting task.

“We are very pleased that our fourth- to eighth-grade students, and those from the five northern counties, will again have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the National Spelling Bee,” Nelson said. “Our students have a history of success in their competitions and we're thrilled to have the event again in our community this winter.”

One-third of the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee champions have come from the Coeur d’Alene School District in the last 18 years.