Poundmaker Cree Nation teen brings Saskatchewan to national spelling bee

Tootoosis earned her spot at nationals after finishing second at the Saskatchewan First Nations Spelling Bee in March, an event that celebrates youth literacy, confidence and cultural pride.

“That was my first spelling bee because I attended a new school this year, and they had a program for spelling bees. I joined because I’ve always been good at writing, reading, and spelling.”

She said representing both Saskatchewan and her community in Ottawa was especially meaningful.

“With Indigenous people, it feels like there’s a lot of limitations on our people. Me doing that could maybe influence some other kids back at home to do something out of the ordinary that someone wouldn’t expect them to do.”

Tootoosis credits her early love of reading for helping develop her spelling skills. She said her family regularly read to her as a child, and by elementary school she had moved on to longer books.

Now, preparing for competitions requires dedicated study.

“For the SIGA one, we wrote all our words on little flashcards, and I got through that pretty quickly; it was pretty easy, but it took a lot of time. With the super spelling bee, I didn’t really do the flashcards. I just went over it in my head, so I had a little more time but it takes a lot of work and effort, but in the end, it’s all worth it.”

At the national competition, Tootoosis advanced to the second round before being eliminated as the words became more difficult. While she estimates she finished somewhere in the 30s, she said the experience was about much more than where she placed.

She returned home with memories of competing on a national stage, exploring Canada’s capital with her family and, she hopes, showing other young people from her community that opportunities exist beyond what they might expect.

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alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com

by Alyssa Rudolph

Poundmaker Cree Nation teen brings Saskatchewan to national spelling bee

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