Encino Park brings together spelling and the spirit giving

Throughout the months of November and December, Encino Park Elementary School undertook a school-wide project that paired its students' interest in spelling with their spirit of giving. Using the materials provided by sponsors of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the students of Encino Park participated in the Great American SpellCheck.

Each student received a list of 50 grade-specific spelling words to practice to prepare for the event. The students also collected pledges from family and friends for every word that they spelled correctly on the Great American SpellCheck test.

The goal was to raise $2,500 for the Smile Train Organization, a group that provides surgeries and medical support (for as little as $250 per child) to children across the world that have been born with cleft lips and/or cleft palates. This condition affects the appearance of the child’s face and roof of the mouth and causes the child to have difficulty eating, swallowing, breathing, and talking.

Encino Park went above and beyond in doing its part to help change the lives of those affected by this condition. The school was able to raise $5,050--more than double the goal amount! This will fund surgeries for 20 children.

" We appreciate the time, effort, and financial assistance that helped make this experience a success, and we are all very proud of the generous support of this endeavor, not only from all of the participants--whose collective average was nearly 40 words correct out of 50--but also from those teachers who surpassed expectations as they worked to turn this opportunity into an exciting way to learn words," said Vicki Craig, teacher. The event prompted a total school effort from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Special recognition goes to the first and second grade levels that each raised more than $1,300.

Additional information about the Smile Train Organization can be found at http://www.smiletrain.org/.

Encino Park fifth-grade SpellCheck participants eager to begin the test

Posted on January 11, 2013