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: BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog

Buzzing about the wee speller at the bee

BoardBuzz couldn't "bee" more excited for Sriram Hathwar, age 8, the youngest speller to ever take the stage in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Hathwar's correct spelling of "impervious" in a regional bee near Pointed Post, N.Y., was the winning ticket to the competition. And in the preliminary round of the national bee, he nailed the word "elicitation." Preparing for the national spelling bee requires years of dedication. An avid reader, writer, and speller from a young age, Hathwar's preschool teacher's often relied on him as their "spell checker."

Hathwar soon became obsessed with words -- playing Scrabble, constructing his own crossword puzzles and constantly asking his parents how to spell things he saw around him. "When my dad would take me places, I'd read words on different [signs] and would start to write them out," Hathwar said. "I got better and better at spelling them."

Unfortunately, Hathwar did not score high enough on the written test to advance on to the bee's quarterfinal's round. However, with only 90 out of 288 spellers advancing, BoardBuzz thinks Hathwar deserves a pat on the back for his veritable propensity for spelling (and we can't wait to see his verbal SAT score!). We know we'll be seeing him again... The Scripps National Spelling Bee quaterfinals are airing today from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. Check the Web site for a schedule and more information. BoardBuzz also challenges you to take their online test to see how you would fare in the bee. Let us know how you do!

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on May 29, 2008 (boomark / email).