By Dimitar Tsekov | Executive Director
Throughout the preparation period (November–February), the CORPluS team maintained regular communication with teacher-coordinators, providing guidance, answering questions, and sharing additional resources on developing spelling and related skills, as well as strategies for motivating students. The “Spelling Bee Teacher Group” on Facebook was actively used, enabling teachers to exchange ideas and share best practices—not only for organizing school rounds of the competition but also for delivering interactive and effective classroom instruction. An online meeting was also held for new teacher-coordinators, during which they received guidance on organizing the school-level competitions.
The school-level competitions were held between February 9 and February 14, 2026. The official kick-off event took place on February 16 at Letets Hristo Toprakchiev High School in Bozhurishte. The festive atmosphere and the excellent performance of the JUNIOR participants turned the event into a memorable celebration of the English language. Members of the CORPluS team visited schools in Sofia, Montana, Vratsa, Kozloduj, Lom, and the Smolyan region. Our focus was on schools in the northwest, aiming to support teachers and raise greater interest in the competition. All participants in the school competitions received certificates and small prizes in recognition of their efforts and hard work, while the winners were awarded medals. Competition materials were delivered free of charge to all participating schools by our partner, DHL.
As in previous years, CORPluS offered all registered schools the opportunity to participate in an additional campaign under the slogan “BEE Healthy.” The initiative aims to encourage students to develop healthy eating habits through engaging classroom activities and prize-based challenges. The campaign’s lead consultant is certified nutritionist Elena Petreliyska, who, over a five-month period, shares useful articles and practical tips on incorporating healthy eating into daily life.
Teachers from participating schools receive specially prepared materials on a monthly basis, although the activities are accessible to all teachers, parents, and students. From November through April, the organizers provide a series of monthly challenges designed to encourage creative engagement, with students developing their own projects either at home or in the classroom. Participants who submit their projects to the organizers are entered into a prize raffle sponsored by Kanap Foods. The activities are not subject to formal assessment; rather, participation is promoted to underscore the importance of the topic for all stakeholders.
The campaign aims to foster informed decision-making, support the development of healthy habits, and enhance awareness of nutrition and overall well-being among teachers, parents, and students.
For the third consecutive year, regional qualification rounds were organized to select the top 30 students for each regional competition. The top two students from each participating Spelling Bee (SB) and Spelling Bee JUNIOR (SBJ) school qualified for the online regional stage. Additional study word lists were distributed to school coordinators - 200 words for SB and 150 for SBJ participants.
The regional qualifications were conducted via the SmarTest platform, where students completed a variety of exercises designed to assess their knowledge and level of preparation. The use of the SmarTest platform proved effective and enabled us to successfully identify the top-performing students who advanced to the regional round.
In the meantime, preparations for the regional competitions are well underway, with regional teams and volunteers already selected and actively engaged in the organization process. Coordination between the central team and local organizers has been ongoing to ensure that all logistical and operational aspects are carefully planned and executed.
The regional competitions took part on March 28 in eight towns across the country. 10 SB and 8 SBJ competitions brought together the top-performing students from the qualification rounds, providing them with an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a dynamic and supportive environment. The competitions fostered a strong sense of community, celebrated students’ achievements, and further promoted enthusiasm for learning the English language.
The top 3 winners of each competition qualified for the National finals which will happen on April 25th and 26th in Sofia. 30 SB national finalists and 24 SBJ national finalists will compete to become the National spelling champions of Bulgaria.
By Dimitar Tsekov | Executive Director
By Dimitar Tsekov | Executive director
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