European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 9 education Young spellers try to Bee All they can be by Jimi Jones education writer Young pupils from the military a overseas school system Are in the first phase of an academic Competition that will Lead one of them to Washington and a spot at an annual Competition that dates Back 65 years. Pupils from three regions under the department of defense dependents schools Are participating in classroom and school level contests in Hopes of nabbing the Dodds spot in the 65th annual Scripps Howard National spelling Bee. Following school level competitions in Germany entrants will vie for District honors. Winners there will compete at the 10th annual spelling Bee in by the european Congress of american parents teachers and students or Eca pts. Because districts Are so far apart in the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions schools Send their contestants directly to the Eca pts Battle scheduled for March 28 in Heidelberg Germany. The Winner of the european Competition will represent Dodds at the Scripps Howard spelling Bee. The stars and stripes newspaper sponsors the contestant in Washington during National spelling Bee week which will be May 24-30. In addition to a trip to the nations capital last years Winner Jeff Sellers received a set of the new encyclopaedia Britannica Courtesy of encyclopaedia Britannica. Jeff represented the Atlantic Region s accent High school in Bruns sum Netherlands. Awards at local Levels vary but Scripps Howard awards the National Winner $5,000. Other monetary prizes arc awarded to spellers ranging from $4,000 to $50. Halvorsen elementary school at Germany a Rhein main a held its Competition Jan. 22. Natalie Gessert a fifth grader emerged the Champion speller and Jeremy Zier also a fifth grader was runner up. Natalie will represent her school at the Frankfurt District contest. Last year Halvorsent a Nicole Brown took third place in the european Bee. Nicole now a sixth grader has moved Back to the United states. Denise Cuddy Halvorsent a assistant principal said the school Competition went Well. A you could hear the collective breath holding As the kids rooted for their contestants a she said. A and parents were sitting on the Edge of their seats. We re just waiting for information on the District contest a Chris Casto Tunner Junior High schools runner up last year will take the Challenge for his school located at Rhein main a. School officials there called the contest a a Good activity in which a almost every kid in the sixth seventh and eighth grades took  teacher Rosanne Nielsen runs the spelling Bee at Lakenheath elementary school in England where she has taught since 1982. She said 30 classroom contests will be conducted tuesday with final rounds scheduled feb. 10 and 11. Scott Mckelvy from Lakenheath was the youngest contestant in last years european match. He was a third grader. Nielsen said Scott will be among those testing their spelling ability  arts educator to coordinate contest Urbana Iii. A the National Council of teachers of English has announced the appointment of a longtime department of defense dependents schools educator As state coordinator for the 1992 note achievement awards in writing. Joan a Gibbons language arts coordinator for the overseas school system was named to the Post in the National Competition now in its 34th year. About 800 High school seniors Are cited for excellence in writing and Are recommended to colleges for admission a and for financial Aid if needed. More than 4,000 students were nominated in 1991. Results Are announced each october. Students Are nominated for the writing awards by their High school English departments and Are chosen for recognition by state judging committees. The regional judging committees Are composed of High school and College teachers who work under the direction of state coordinators. The National Council of teachers of English is made up of More than 125,000 teachers and institutional members at All Levels of instruction. Its goal is More effective teaching of English language arts and literature in the nations schools and colleges. Note publishes journals books and recordings to Aid teachers in the classroom and in their professional  planned in july port Orchard Wash. A the overseas department of defense schools annual reunion association is planning its fourth reunion. Plans Are to meet at the Bremerton Bayview inn Best Western in Bremerton Wash., from july 10 to 12. The hotel Cost is $55 per night for a double or single room. Events include a Friday night social with Buffet sightseeing on saturday and a sunday breakfast. Those planning to attend should Send a $45 registration fee per person by april 15. Checks should be made payable to Odd Sara and mailed to Warren Van Zee 601 Dwight st., port Orchard Wash., 98366,Wing named for educator Nurnberg Germany a the Erlanger elementary school in Niernberg has named a Wing of the school in Honor of a longtime overseas school educator who died in november 1990. The Wing was dedicated to Frank d. Alt who served As the superintendent of the Niernberg District from 1983 to 1990, at was cited for his a untiring efforts toward the betterment of Erlanger and the entire Niernberg  a reception followed the Jan. 22  tournament set Heidelberg Germany a More than 200 students from 27 department of defense dependents schools will compete in the 1992 Central european wrestling championship. Competition will be held in the Heidelberg Patton gymnasium feb 14 and 15. Competition begins at 9 . Daily.6th-graders go Back to basics As tutors by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau Baum older Germany a pupils in Kimberly Jones sixth Grade class attend the first Grade once a week. They Are part of a a across age tutoring program that has the older pupils working one on one with Dorrie Meckes first Grade class at Wetzel elementary school in Baum older. The sixth Grade pupils help the younger ones with Reading and Art projects. Despite the dry title of the program sixth grader Angela Heinrich 13, summed up the feelings of both classes. A a it a fun a she said. A when you help them read you feel Good about  angelas 7-year-old partner Ronald Gibson likes the help he is getting. She helps me say the words a Ronald said. Meckes said pupils Are paired according to abilities and needs. A the weak Reader in the first Grade is paired with a Strong Reader in the sixth Grade a she said. Some of the pairings Are Between friends and in one Case a brother is tutoring his sister. In Progress the program is neither neat nor quiet but it does produce results. During a recent class the pairs were told to write a Short Story about a snowman. A Sheet of lined paper was provided along with a picture of a snowman to be coloured and Cut out. Leilani Haynes 11, Bent her head close to Maureen Benford 6, As they composed the Story and Maureen printed it carefully on the lined Sheet. When they finished the pair giggled As they showed their efforts to Meckes. A the has a magical hat a Maureen said. A and he a very fat a Leilani added gesturing with her hands to show the roundness of a snowman. The program a brainchild of Meckes has been conducted for several years she said. Each of the three first Grade classes has a a buddy class of sixth graders. Us a go of Creon Maureen Benford 6, and her partner Leilani Haynes 11, put their Heads together to come up with a Story. Teacher Dorrie Meckes checks their Progress. Meckes and Jones classes get together each wednesday for 30 minutes to an hour she said. Besides getting help in Reading and sharing Art projects the younger pupils Are also refining their interpersonal skills Meckes said. She added that the older pupils Are Quick to Praise the efforts of their partners. The first graders Arentt the Only ones learning from the program. Jones said that her youngsters Are building their self esteem. To come in and help a Little kid they feel very important a she said. Their own schoolwork shows the elects of the program also. A they see How difficult it is for younger kids to learn a Jones said a they have More tolerance for their own  f be Dodds med office moving to Italy by a King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau Torrejon a Spain a the Mediterranean Region office of the department of defense dependents schools will relocate from Torrejon a outside Madrid to Camp Darby at Livorno Italy. A the move to Livoto is necessitated by the significant draw Down now under Way at Torrejon associated with the withdrawal of the 401st fighter Wing from the base Quot David h. Labuhn a Dodds spokesman at Madrid said last week. A 1988 defense agreement Between Spain and the United states Calls for the 401st and its f-16 fighters to vacate the base in Spain by May 4. A the regional office has a staff of roughly 70 people and it is projected that 30 to 35 employees will move to Italy. Some employees especially those with family ties in Spain have declined the Opportunity to move. Others will retire a Labuhn said. Some school office personnel have already moved to Camp Darby and All transferring personnel Are expected to be there by aug. 3, Labuhn said. The italian defense ministry approved the move Jan. 23, Labuhn said. Camp Darby an army installation near Pisa on Italy a West coast was chosen for the regional office because it has room to House the office and is centrally located within the Mediterranean Region Labuhn said. The Region includes schools and District offices in 20 locations stretching from the azores in the Atlantic to Bahrain in the persian Gulf according to Labuhn. The regional office also handles the education of 790 pupils at non Dodds schools in 48 countries in Africa the Middle East and Southeastern Europe Labuhn said