Game raises Janney student's spelling, math scores

The playing field is a 15-by-15 inched square grid decked with multi-colored scoring hot spots. Letters are the weapons, with "Q" often being the deadliest of all. And no, the systematic swiveling of the thumbs back and forth on a joystick while becoming hypnotized for hours by animated plots on a TV screen is not part of the strategy. However, students at Janney Elementary School in Tenleytown return every week to engage in this stimulating mind game known as Scrabble."Scrabble fosters an appreciation for language. It is refreshing to see the way kids use Scrabble," said Stefan Fatsis, author of "Word Freak" and coach for the Janney Scrabble club.

Fatsis, whose first grader attends Janney, began the Scrabble club last school year as a way to get involved in his daughter's school and to expose the students to another outlet for learning every Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

The children at Janney Elementary School are not the only ones fascinated by the wordplay in Scrabble. According to John D. Williams, executive director of the National Scrabble Association (NSA), Janney is one of over 20,000 schools with over a million children participating in the NSA School Scrabble Program. The program is a free opportunity for schools to register their Scrabble clubs in the NSA school club roster to receive tips on how to use Scrabble as a teaching tool and updates on national Scrabble events, such as championships.

Wanting a challenge, sixth grader Sarah Mak, 12, signed up for the Scrabble club with friends in the beginning of the school year.

"When I'm writing something, I can refer back to the games I played and say, 'Oh, I know how to spell that,'" she said. Scrabble helps the students improve on necessary skills to have in daily life.

"It's helpful with logic because you have to decide which is the best move. Adding up scores helps with math skills too," said Annie Rosenthal, a sixth grader and second-year Scrabble club member. With each new word created on the board, the player has to immediately record the score.

About 15 years ago, NSA presented the idea of the School Scrabble Program to Hasbro, the company that owns the Scrabble trademark, Williams explained.

"No two games are ever the same. It is a fresh experience each time. There's creativity. You make order out of chaos," Williams, 62, said of the appeal of Scrabble. I always say, 'Chess is like soccer. Scrabble is like basketball.'"

Other students view the skills they learn in Scrabble as tools for a future career and as a test of personal improvement.

"I want to be a forensic scientist," Larry Frazier, 11, said. "In Scrabble, you always have to have an A and B plan." He explained that similar to a Scrabble player, a forensic scientist is not going to necessarily find desired answers directly in front of him. Instead, he has to be able to approach the situation from different angles in order to find the best solution.

Larry is a sixth grader who joined the Janney Scrabble club last year. He is a spelling-bee champ in the school and has almost mastered all of the two-lettered words in Scrabble.

The School Scrabble Program has garnered a large following and now, includes the National School Scrabble Championship (NSSC) for fifth through eighth graders. The championship includes teams of two that play six rounds of Scrabble. Each game is 22 minutes long. The two teams with the highest scores advance to the final round.

In its seventh consecutive year, the NSSC this year will take place in Providence, R.I., from April 24-25. Janney sixth graders Charlie Williamson, 12, Max Mellott, 11, Isaac Sarnff, 11, and Emma Keyes, 11, will play in the championship. "Even if you don't play it competitively, it is fun just to learn a bunch of words," Max said.

The two members of the winning team will receive $2,500 each. In the past, ESPN has televised the event with Fatsis, also a journalist, as the commentator. This year the sports network will not cover the event, but live internet coverage will be streamed on the School Scrabble Web site.

"Many go on to play in adult tournaments and beat adults, even though they're only 12," Williams said. He noted that Scrabble is an unconventional way for kids to learn and teachers seem to appreciate that aspect the most.

The students realize that Scrabble is a game meant for fun and enjoy playing with friends. "Make sure you aren't a sore looser. In Scrabble you win a lot and lose a lot. Be able to learn from younger and older people," sixth grader Lena Jones said.