On your marks, get set, spell!

It was a day of friendly, vocabulary-building, competition in the Merricks last Wednesday at the annual fifth- and sixth-grade Scrabble tournament sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Merrick and the Merrick Herald.

Nearly 50 students from Birch, Chatterton, Levy-Lakeside, Camp Avenue, Fayette and Old Mill Road elementary schools, as well as the Progressive School of Long Island in North Merrick, took part in the tournament at the Merrick Library.

"I've been to the Scrabble tournament before, so it was a good experience and I wanted to try it again," said last year's reigning fifth-grade champion, Harshal Patel from the Progressive School in North Merrick. Patel admitted that he still has three Scrabble trophies in his bedroom, but said he is drawn to this tournament because "it's learning new strategies and learning new words."

To make it to the tournament, students must first join their school's Scrabble Club, which usually starts sometime in late fall. Kids practice and play during designated free times like lunch or recess, and ultimately groups of two children from each grade make it to the tournament, at which they compete with peers from other schools and districts.

"It's one of the highlights of the year," Levy-Lakeside School Principal Miriam Hanan said. "It gives children an opportunity to meet each other in the competitive spirit, certainly, but also to meet each other before they get to Merrick Avenue Middle School."

This year, Harshal Patel and Paulina Fein from the Progressive School came in first place for the sixth grade, and Jake Lamonsoff and Alex Penchuk from Birch School were first among fifth-graders. Natalie Gitin, a sixth-grader at Birch School, was awarded the Best Sportsmanship trophy.

"Playing Scrabble is a great way to improve vocabulary and spelling skills, and playing as a team competitively helps to nurture important social and sportsmanship skills as well," said Kiwanian Linda Susman, who organizes the annual event.

Comments about this story? SZeidler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.