POUNDMAKER CREE NATION – A First Nation youth who resides in Poundmaker Cree Nation and is a Flying Dust First Nation band member was recently invited to take part in a national spelling bee in Ottawa.
It was a dream come true for Dallynn Tootoosis, who participated in the Canada National Super Spelling Bee in Ottawa on July 17 and 18.
Dallynn was the only First Nation participant and the only one from Saskatchewan.
"I was pretty nervous," she said. "I did get to second round. I realized I was the only kid there from Saskatchewan and I was the only Indigenous one there. It made me feel better because I felt important."
Dallynn, 13, became interested in words and spelling from an early age.
"When I was a little kid, my auntie and my family would read books to me," she said. "That's how I started getting into writing and reading. As I got older, my spelling got better. In Eighth Grade, I had a chance to join a spelling bee and I did."
To qualify for nationals, Dallynn participated in the Saskatchewan First Nations Spelling Bee in March, where she performed well in her category.
"It was good," she said. "I got second place. That's why I advanced."
Iris Derocher, Dallynn's mother, is thrilled with her daughter's success for competing in nationals.
"It was great," she said. "I still feel so much pride for my daughter. She has a lot to be proud of."
"Not many people can take a national stage and get up there and spell words," Derocher added. "A lot of people have trouble spelling, so we told her definitely be proud, my baby. It's something to be proud of."
Derocher said her daughter had challenges early in her life so she is especially proud to see her daughter do so well today.
"Born with paralyzed vocal cords and being told by doctors that she may never speak, Dallynn required a tracheostomy when she was 21 days old," she said. "By two years old, her vocabulary in sign language was at approximately 60 words; by three years old the tracheostomy came out and we've never been able to keep her quiet since. Always reading, spelling, and learning, she's now 13 and her word vocabulary is something out of this world."
Dallynn won the top reader award in Grade 1. She's an artist who loves to draw and do digital art.
Derocher thanks Dallynn's teacher for seeing her daughter's talents as a strong speller.
"Teacher Priscilla Tootoosis-Iron made this all possible," she said. "She asked Dallynn if she wanted to try out at the Saskatchewan First Nations Spelling Bee, where she placed second and earned her a spot on the national stage in Ottawa at the 2026 Canada Super Spelling Bee. She made it past the first round with the word 'accomplishment.' Nerves got the better of her in the second round when she was faced with one of the trick words, 'personnel.'
"She'll never ever spell that word wrong again," Derocher said with a laugh.
