And Then There Was One...

Last week I wrote a blog about a couple of terrific students from Kansas City, Missouri.  They managed to exhaust the list spelling words at their county spelling bee that would ultimately determine which competitor would advance to the national stage.  After nearly six hours, the officials had no other choice but to call it a day, announcing that a runoff would take place at a later date to crown a winner.

I was especially encouraged as I followed what happened next.  Naturally,  the local and national media swarmed to report on the feel-good story of the week. But it was the collective response of the two participants, their families, friends, as well as the administrators from each of the schools that I found interesting to observe.  In a time when we are inundated with reality shows, social media, and wannabe super stars on YouTube, the folks in Kansas City spent the better part of two weeks showing respect to one another and focused only on the task at hand. In fact, one of the contestants told a reporter that it would be the final word, and not the opponent, that would ultimately beat one of them in the end.

Saturday March 8th a winner was eventually crowned after 20 rounds.  Honestly, they are both winners in this writer's book.  It never gets old when friendly competition is just that.  And there is no question that this behavior was modeled by the parents, the school, and the teachers.

Congratulations on giving America a fine example, Kansas City!