Houston Public Media Spelling Bee 2021-2022

Houston Public Media Spelling Bee

Welcome to the 2021-2022 Bee Season!

School Enrollment

Spellers participate through enrolled schools. Check if your school is enrolled, or ask a staff member in the school office if your school is participating.

All schools are eligible: public, private, charter, parochial, virtual, and home schools.

Campus Spelling Bee Coordinators enroll with Scripps National Spelling Bee. Select the Enroll button in the upper-right corner at www.spellingbee.com.

School enrollment is $175, payable by credit card or check (add $7.50 for pay by check). There is no late fee this year; it remains the same through December 31, 2021.

Batch Enrollment: You may enroll multiple schools from your district at once. Watch this tutorial.

Enrolled schools receive the following benefits and materials:

  • Exclusive online access to the teachers-only section of spellingbee.com.
  • Study Materials: The 4,000-word Words of the Champions study guide for school champions that includes the 450-word School Spelling Bee Study List
  • Supplemental vocabulary materials for classroom and school levels
  • The Great Words, Great Works reading list with all source books, organized by reading level
  • Official Pronouncer Guides for use in conducting classroom and school spelling bees
  • Customizable certificates for participants and school champion
  • Britannica Online for Kids: A one-year subscription to award to a participant in your school’s spelling bee program
    • If your school enrolls on or before September 30, your school receives TWO subscriptions
  • Online Testing Platform tool if desired or if public health situations limit in-person events

Campus Coordinators will access everything by logging into their spellingbee.com accounts.

District and Area Bees

School Spelling Bee Champions in the school districts or areas below will advance to a District or Area bee. The top spellers from these bees will advance to the Houston Public Media Final Spelling Bee.

  • Aldine ISD
  • Alvin ISD
  • Channelview ISD
  • Clear Creek ISD
  • Crosby ISD
  • Cypress Fairbanks ISD
  • Deer Park ISD
  • Fort Bend ISD
  • Galena Park ISD
  • Goose Creek CISD
  • Houston ISD
  • Humble ISD
  • Katy ISD
  • Klein ISD
  • La Porte ISD
  • Pasadena ISD
  • Pearland ISD
  • Sheldon ISD
  • Spring ISD
  • Spring Branch ISD
  • Tomball ISD
  • Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston – all Catholic schools in these counties: Austin, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller
  • Beaumont Area – all schools in these counties: Jefferson, Liberty, Orange [run by Beaumont ISD]
  • Brazoria County – all schools in Brazoria County (except schools in Alvin ISD, Pearland ISD, Fort Bend ISD) [run by Brazosport ISD]
  • Lufkin Kiwanis Bee – all schools in these counties: Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby [run by Lufkin Kiwanis]
  • Montgomery and Walker Counties – All schools except Tomball ISD, Archdiocese Galv-Hou. [run by Willis ISD]
  • Washington County – all schools in Washington County [run by Brenham ISD]

Key Dates for District and Area Bees

  • 12/31/21: Deadline for schools to enroll at spellingbee.com
  • 01/31/22: Deadline to conduct School Spelling Bees
  • 02/04/22: Deadline for Campus Coordinators to register their School Bee Champions by logging into spellingbee.com and completing the School Champion Registration form
  • 02/28/22: Deadline to conduct District/Area Spelling Bees
  • 03/01/22: Deadline for District Coordinators to notify SNSB of their district/area bee champions

Schools not located in District and Area Bees

All School Spelling Bee Champions who attend a school not in the school districts or areas above, will take an online qualifier test instead of competing in a district/area bee.

(In other words, for this year… There are no designated regional bees for Harris County Private Schools, Harris County Charter Schools, or Harris County Home Schools. There are no designated regional bees for schools in the following counties: Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Jasper, Leon, Madison, Matagorda, Newton, Polk, Robertson, San Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler, Waller, Washington, Wharton)

Scripps National Spelling Bee will administer the ‘spelling and word meaning test’ between March 7 and March 11. The top finishers of the Online Qualifier Test will advance to the Houston Public Media Final Spelling Bee.

Key Dates for Schools not in District and Area Bees

  • 12/31/21: Deadline for schools to enroll at spellingbee.com
  • 01/31/22: Deadline to conduct School Spelling Bees
  • 02/04/22: Deadline for Campus Coordinators to register their School Bee Champions by logging into spellingbee.com and completing the School Champion Registration form
  • 03/07/22: Online Qualifier Test Opens
  • 03/11/22:Online Qualifier Test Closes

Houston Public Media Spelling Bee – Late March 2022, TBD

Because of the uncertainty caused by Covid-19, the format and date of the HPM Spelling Bee will be finalized in February.

Houston Public Media will email parents of the spellers who qualify with the details (date, time, schedule, rules, etc.).

The top two spellers of the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee will advance to the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee; Expenses paid by Houston Public Media.

The 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee is planned for National Harbor, Maryland, May 29 – June 3.

2021-2022 District-Area Spelling Bee Contacts

View Previous Spelling Bee Winners