Navya Dwivedi, 13, of Columbia, is competing in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbor this week. It’s the second time in as many years that the Clarksville Middle School seventh-grader has had a chance to be named the nation’s valedictorian.
On Tuesday they passed the preliminary competition and will advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Navya attributed her success to her preparation process by studying new words in the dictionary and poring over words from previous spelling bees. She is also an avid reader, which also helps with spelling accuracy.
“Since this is a national competition, I compete with other people who are just as good and much better than me,” he said. “It’s a very good opportunity to meet other people and see how I can grow in the future.”
Navya is one of seven Maryland spellers who qualified to compete in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor this week, after earning a spot by winning regional bees.
Quint Karlsson, 12, of Gambrills, a sixth-grader at Crofton Middle School, is another. Quint said he only became interested in spelling bees earlier this year and was surprised to win a spot in the national bee.
“I’m definitely surprised,” he said. “I didn’t expect to be able to participate in the Scripps spelling bee in my sixth grade.”
When he’s not spelling, Quint enjoys playing sports with his friends, especially basketball, football and soccer, according to his bio on the Bee website.
Quint won the Anne Arundel County contest with the word “emolument,” which qualified him for nationals.
June Keatley, 10, of Phoenix, a fourth-grade student at St. James Academy in Monkton, said it means a lot to her to compete in the national spelling bee.
“It’s really special to be here at the National Spelling Bee and I feel really proud of myself,” she said.
In March, June won the Maryland Regional Sports Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word “phlebotomy” and, as a result, earned a spot in the national bee.
The national spelling bee began Tuesday with preliminaries for 245 students, all third through eighth graders, and ranging in age from 8 to 15 years old. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are scheduled for Wednesday. The spelling champion, who will be named during the final rounds on Thursday, will win $50,000, a commemorative medal and the Scripps Cup, the official championship trophy of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The bee began in 1925 when 11-year-old Frank Neuhauser of Louisville, Kentucky, won the first bee, according to the bee’s website. Neuhauser won by correctly spelling the word “gladiolus,” a flowering plant in the lily family. He got a stack of gold coins worth $500 and a visit to President Calvin Coolidge.
More than a century later, the bee has had 108 champions in total, ranging in age from 11 to 15 years. Winning words included “luge” and “scherenschnitte.”
Other Maryland spellers competing this week include:
- Su Hliang, 13, seventh grade student at Saint Peter’s School in Montgomery County.
- Chase Camuti, 11, fifth grade student at Glade Elementary School in Frederick County.
- Aidan Cobos, 13, seventh grade student at Milton M. Somers Middle School in Charles County
- Conor Keightley-Reinhardt, 14, eighth grade student at Crisfield Middle School and Academy in Somerset County
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow @Keynote USA Local on Twitter.
Source link