Keva Westbrook

Keva Westbrook, an elementary school student in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, stunned her teachers and classmates last year when she won the school spelling bee. Westbrook was the youngest member of the fourth-grade class, but she defeated students much older than she was in order to win the bee. After winning at the school level, Keva Westbrook went on to represent her school, Benjamin Franklin School, at the next level of competition.

The students and teachers at Benjamin Franklin School took great pride in Keva Westbrook's unusual achievement. The school takes the spelling bee competition quite seriously! They held a pep rally in order to prepare the students who would represent the school and to celebrate all of the hard work in preparing for the bee. Each class in the school voted on challenge words. Keva's older brother Kevin Westbrook, a fifth grader, was one of the last finalists. For every word spelled correctly, each class earned special privileges. Teachers used these achievements to encourage other students at the school to work hard and value academic achievement. The spelling bee program at Benjamin Franklin School was spearheaded by third grade teacher Mrs. Barnes. She encouraged each class to work as a team. Students would quiz each other and research the dictionary for fun and challenging words. New dictionaries were donated by local businesses making this a community project as well. The teachers were often stumped themselves on how to pronounce some of the words. This project really showed how learning can be fun.

Each morning, the students of Benjamin Franklin School recite the school pledge. They promise to respect themselves and others, to learn, to be responsible, and to do their best. The pledge sets forth the ideals that students will need to excel in a world that is full of challenges. Through her 2011 spelling bee accomplishment, Keva Westbrook exemplifies these ideals.