Jackson Free Press

Desiree Roby, an 11-year-old 6th grader home-schooled in Jackson, recently became Mississippi's 2013 spelling bee champion. Roby won the Mississippi Spelling Bee in the 26th-round by spelling "dowager," defined as an elderly woman of wealth and dignity.

Roby's mother, Robin Roby, is a member of the Christian Home Educators Connection, a Clinton-based organization composed of families from across the Jackson metro area. CHEC provides fellowship, social and educational opportunities for home-schooled children, including field trips and graduation ceremonies when participants reach the high-school level.

"(CHEC) is a way for home-schooling families to connect with each other," Robin Roby told the Jackson Free Press. "It's been really good for us. We've been part of CHEC for six years now. It's a wonderful organization for me as a home-school educator. Desiree can connect with other home-schooled kids through field trips, classes and other opportunities."

Desiree initially went to a private Christian school, St. Paul Presbyterian School in Jackson, until it closed.

"We looked for other options, and it came to home-schooling eventually," Robin Roby said. "It has been a wonderful choice, and I'm glad we were able to do it."

A single mother and former corporate human-resources worker who is now self-employed in real estate, Robin Roby did not have prior experience as an educator when she decided to home-school Desiree, but found a number of sources that helped her make the transition.

"I didn't know a lot about home-schooling at first," Robin Roby said. "I had to learn from people at church, in the community and in CHEC. I went to home-school forums and sites for information as well as to curriculum fairs."

Desiree Roby has greatly enjoyed her time as a CHEC student and meeting with other students in the program.

"The field trips are a lot of fun," Desiree Roby said. "We go out and explore, see new things and enjoy each other's company. I've made a lot of good friends during those experiences."

Desiree Roby has plans to study engineering in school, but has always enjoyed studying language as well. She and her mother watched the Mississippi Spelling Bee on television together for years before Desiree entered this year's competition.

"I entered the spelling bee just because of my eagerness for learning new things and using the talents God has given me," Desiree said. "I've loved learning new words for a long time. My mom and I studied (for the competition) for six days a week, for about an hour and a half a day. At the spelling bee, the people I was sitting by, we were all figuring out the origins of words people got asked."

"Desiree went over the word lists (for the competition) every day, learning definitions and how words are put together," Robin Roby said. "There's a set of about 1,500 words from various language origins, divided into etymologies like French, Greek and Italian. There's certain ways words go together, such as how they go together in Latin or Greek, that helps with knowing how to spell them. She also learned a lot of words just out of the dictionary or through online activities."

Desiree is now preparing for the 86th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., May 28-30.

"I'm just excited that I have the opportunity to represent the state of Mississippi," Desiree said.

The Mississippi Spelling Bee was broadcast live on Mississippi Public Broadcasting and was sponsored by the Mississippi Association of Educators.