Doyon Foundation made history on April 30, 2026 by hosting the first-ever Dena Spelling Bee at Effie Kokrine Charter School. The inaugural event brought together students from across Interior Alaska to celebrate and strengthen Alaska Native languages through friendly competition, cultural pride, and community support.
The spelling bee featured six student participants in grades 6–10 representing schools from Minto, Rampart, Hughes, and Fairbanks. Registration was open to all students in grades 6–12, with 15 students initially registering for the event.
“The Dena Spelling Bee has been a dream by many,” organizer Tatiana Kiaqaq Andrew shared. “Following in the footsteps of the Yup’ik Spelling Bee for Beginners, it was decided this was the year to begin.”
Planning for the event began in October 2025 through a partnership between Doyon Foundation and Effie Kokrine Charter School. Funding and support for the Bee came through the Foundation’s “DLO in the Classroom” grant, part of the Doyon Languages Education initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education Alaska Native Education Program.
The event focused on Denaakk’e (Koyukon) using Lower and Central dialects, as well as Benhti Kokhut’ana Kenaga’ (Lower Tanana) Minto dialect. Organizers say the long-term goal is to expand the spelling bee to include all languages represented throughout the Doyon Region.
“It is important to learn the language of the land we live on,” Andrew said.
At the beginning of the planning process, students at Effie Kokrine Charter School submitted words they wanted included in the competition. Organizers said this helped generate interest in the event while ensuring the word list reflected terms that were meaningful to students. Additional words were gathered using language resources such as the Koyukon Athabaskan Dictionary by Jules Jetté and Eliza Jones, along with the Doyon Languages Online platform.
All collected words were reviewed by Native language speakers David Engles, Susan Ketsoo Paskvan, and Dewey Kk’ołeyo Hoffman, who provided pronunciation and spelling corrections. Words were divided into three categories: Common Words I, Common Words II, and Challenge Words.
Students prepared for the event using a study journal compiled by Doyon Foundation intern Andria Nolteeł Moses, a senior at Effie Kokrine Charter School and Denaakk’e learner. Lessons were also created through a partnership with 7000 Languages and made available through Doyon Languages Online, a free language-learning platform for Doyon region languages.
Rather than using a traditional elimination format, the Dena Spelling Bee allowed every student to participate through all rounds using a cumulative point system. Participants could either attempt to spell a word or pass it to another competitor. Correct spellings, including glottal stops, earned points and applause from the audience.
Challenge words, worth 15 points each, added excitement to the competition. One student-submitted challenge word, “neghw nighwsniyh,” translates to “let me help you” in Lower Tanana.
At the end of three rounds and 64 total words, ninth grader Tayla Baker of Minto earned first place after correctly spelling the winning challenge word, “bedziyh,” meaning “caribou” in Lower Tanana.
Second place went to sixth grader Henry Beatus of Hughes, while third place was awarded to eighth grader Kane Johnson of Rampart.
The event concluded with a standing ovation for all six contestants, each of whom received participation certificates reading “Yeho Sozelts’eeyh” in Denaakk’e and “Neghwnh Kesrodejets’ehy” in Lower Tanana, both meaning “Congratulations.”
Language judges and scorekeepers included Bertina Titus, Holly Wofford, and Claudette Green, all of whom helped ensure accurate spelling and pronunciation throughout the evening.
Organizers say plans are already underway for next year’s event, with hopes of expanding the spelling bee to include additional Doyon Region languages.
Doyon Foundation also extended its gratitude to all of the partners, educators, language speakers, judges, volunteers, and community members who helped make the first-ever Dena Spelling Bee possible. Ana basi’ to Effie Kokrine Charter School for hosting the event, to Yukon-Koyukuk School District and participating schools for supporting student involvement, to 7000 Languages for helping create learning materials, and to the many fluent speakers and language advocates who dedicated their time and knowledge to preparing words, reviewing pronunciation, and encouraging students throughout the competition.
We are so proud of all the students who participated in this event, and deeply grateful to the families, teachers, and communities that helped them get there. Whether this was the first time learning some of their language or part of an ongoing journey, we hope that the students are excited to continue growing their speaking skills and confidence. We can’t wait to see them, and many more, next year!
