‘Shebang’ spells success for IN-Tech student

Three words propelled IN-Tech Academy sixth-grade student Jara Febles to spelling stardom. 

“I was standing there with the light on me and I was pretty nervous,” recalled Jara, who placed sixth in the Bronx-wide spelling bee on Jan. 21 after successfully spelling “shebang,” “orchard” and “biopsy.” The event took place at P.S. 196 on Ward Avenue.

The feat earned her a spot in the citywide spelling bee scheduled for Thursday, March 19, when she will compete with 14 other Bronx students against spelling mavens from all five boroughs. 

Jara’s spelling saga started with a series of classroom bees at IN-Tech earlier this school year.

Winners from each class went on to compete against each other in a bee for the entire middle school. After that, two of the three winners of the middle school bee attended the Bronx bee, though the second student did not qualify for the city bee.

A Kingsbridge Heights resident, Jara said her family helped her prepare for the first few spelling bees. They quizzed her on words from a packet each contestant receives, after she practiced by writing them down over and over again. 

“They were really proud of me and were sort of surprised,” said Jara.

When it came to “shebang” (noun: a matter, operation or set of circumstances), she knew exactly which letters to offer the judges.

“I knew that word by heart, because my brother was practicing with me,” she said. 

She also made friends at the Bronx spelling bee, chatting quietly with other students during long pauses in the competition. When a girl before her took a long time to spell her word, Jara had to fight to stay quiet. 

“I couldn’t say anything, but I wanted to help her,” the IN-Tech student said. She was intimidated by some of the words other spellers received, like “Machiavellian” and “aqueduct,” which could rear their heads again during the citywide bee. 

Sixth- and seventh-grade social studies teacher Loviah Ansah coached IN-Tech’s young spellers.