A volunteer-led spelling bee program bolsters the reading skills and confidence of CMSD students.
With schools still struggling since the pandemic to help students catch up on their reading comprehension skills, some independent volunteers with ties to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) are taking it upon themselves to lend a hand. That’s where La Queta Worley comes in.
Since early March, Worley has been working hands-on with CMSD students and partnering with like-minded organizers throughout the city to launch a grassroots annual spelling bee – the first of its kind in the district in several years. To prepare students for the May 18th spelling bee, hosted at the Cleveland Public Library’s Sterling Branch, Worley led weekly after-school practice sessions.
The goal of the practice sessions and the bee itself, Worley said, is to teach confidence, flexibility and a greater appreciation for reading and writing.
“(Students) were not benefiting in areas that they needed the most,” she said. “Reading, grammar and just the phonics of the words – I’m working on that now with a lot of younger students That makes a difference to them. Especially if somebody has dyslexia, that helps. (Spelling bee practice) gives them more structure and patience.”
Worley, who grew up in the Central neighborhood and now resides in Clark-Fulton, has fond memories of competing in spelling bees in her youth. While she can’t say for sure how many years it’s been since CMSD students had direct access to opportunities to compete at a spelling bee, she can confirm that her own children, who attended school in the district until 2013, had no such opportunity available to them.
Seeing a void in the community where a spelling bee program should be, Worley partnered with Signal Cleveland to make one happen in 2023, hosting the inaugural event at the Friendly Inn at 2386 Unwin Rd. This year marks the second annual installment of what Worley hopes becomes a yearly recurrence.
Looking back on the months she spent tutoring CMSD children, Worley feels the efforts had positive impacts beyond simply strengthening the spelling skills of local youths. In some cases, the lessons can extend to the home, where parents benefit from the routine of after-school tutoring.
“They’re learning dedication as well,” Worley said. “If the students have that dedication and patience for themselves, the parents do too. It gives structure at home, like I had. (The tutoring) gives the children something to look forward to. It’s encouraging all the way around.”
Making spelling fun has been the key to keeping students engaged in the lead-up to the spelling bee – something Worley and other volunteers have succeeded at, according to Monica Rudzinski, manager of Cleveland Public Library’s Sterling Branch.
“The fact that (students are) participating, that they’re coming every week, to practice their spelling words – and it’s a fun thing,” Rudzinski said. “(Volunteers have) made it fun. They’ve encouraged the students and it’s a big deal to them.”
Following last year’s spelling bee, Worley – with the assistance of partners from Signal Cleveland – brought the event to the library’s facilities. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank also lent its support to the bee by providing snacks for students to enjoy during after-school tutoring sessions. Rudzinski has seen a promising level of interest and engagement from this year’s participants.
“I think there’s definitely a lot of interest this year,” she said. “The students have been coming faithfully on Tuesdays to practice and it’s all because of (the volunteers’) dedication.”
Contributing to the ongoing effort to address the post-COVID reading gap among students – which many experts are beginning to call a full-blown literacy crisis – is one goal of the program, but Worley sees the spelling bee as a chance to pass on her own knowledge to hungry young minds.
“I tell the students the same thing my teachers told me … each letter has its own formation. I’m doing what my kindergarten teacher did for me, I take them by the hand and guide them,” Worley said. “(The mission is) encouraging them to feel educated, and to look forward to staying educated. A lot of students like spelling. They’re smart, they love school. They just have to learn good study habits.”
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