EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)- Socorro Independent School District’s (SISD) Myrtle Cooper Elementary School hosted a Spanish Spelling Bee competition Friday, March 31.

The second annual event was open to students in grades 3rd through 5th who are bilingual or in the district’s Dual Language Program. Students work with multisyllabic words, spell them out and use the proper Spanish grammatical rules. Participants have been attending weekly practices after school and have been using their study guides at home to prepare.

Manuel Saucedo, center left, and Arielle Martinez, center right, were the top two finishers at Socorro ISD’s Spanish Spelling Bee. Courtesy — SISD

The winners were: 1st place, Arielle Martinez, fourth grade; and runner up/second place – Manuel Saucedo, third grade.

“We believe our Myrtle Cooper Pirates will conquer the sea at the Spanish spelling bee,” Eduardo Reyes, a third-grade dual language teacher at Myrtle Cooper, said. “These dynamic biliterate students whose dedication and hard work inspire all scholars to achieve their personal best, positively impact the world.”