2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee

JACQUES BAILLY

ZAILA AVANT-GARDE

MARY BROOKS

He’s our pronouncer, a college professor, and he sews, too

The 2021 Bee champion has had an incredible year

About the bell: Our head judge talks about its origin

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE

MAY 30– JUNE 3, 2022

SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION:

Read about all 234 national TXDOLĆ HUV

THE

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Table of Contents

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You’ll need this to know what’s happening and when.

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FEATURING

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Since 1925, the National Spelling Bee has found its way into American pop culture—from movies and theater to TV shows to cartoons and comedy sketches.

THE SCHEDULE

THEY SAID WHAT? We asked the spellers a lot of questions. Here is how they answered.

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KNOW YOUR ABCS Learn all about the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

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LEVAR BURTON Get to know the Bee’s famous host as he answers questions from a speller correspondent.

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SISTER ACT $QDO\VW 3DXO /RHIć HU DQVZHUV questions from his sister, Corrie /RHIć HU D IRUPHU VSHOOHU KHUVHOI

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Ekansh Rastogi (speller 65) is an aspiring cricket player who plays in adult leagues in Central Florida. He dreams of representing the U.S. national cricket team when he retires from spelling.

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OUR PRONOUNCER Jacques Bailly answers questions from our speller correspondent.

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THE WORD MEANING GUY Ben Zimmer gets on Zoom with another speller correspondent.

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TAKE NOTE Learn some interesting facts about RXU QDWLRQDO TXDOLĆ HUV

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Since she was 5 years old, Brooklyn Stewart (speller 176) from Kansas City has been collecting money for school supplies for children in need.

Her annual fundraiser is called Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive.

YOUR BEESWAX

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HISTORY LESSON Here are all the winners, winning words, executive directors and pronouncers.

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2021 CHAMPION Oh, the places Zaila Avant-garde has gone in the past year.

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ALUMNI FACTS Learn about some former spellers.

You might be surprised.

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She is just in eighth grade, but Shadya Coureur (speller 217) from the U.S. Virgin Islands has already written nine books. She hopes to have them published some day.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW We catch up with Bee alumni Henry Feldman, Michael Adams, Jody-Anne Maxwell and Snigdha Nandipati.

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THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR J. Michael Durnil shares his vision for the future of the Bee.

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2022 s p Scrip al n o i t Na ing l l e Sp Bee

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$GDP 6\PVRQ OHWV XV NQRZ KLV Ć YH most memorable Bee experiences.

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TV ch on wat n atio ow to * H Prize inform sword * ecial cros le Sp puzz *

SCRIPPS’ CEO

GUIDE TO THE SPELLERS Meet the Scripps National Spelling Bee class of 2022 in our special pull-out section.

THE OFFICIALS See the folks responsible for administering this year’s competition.

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AND FINALLY …

The last word goes to Head Judge Mary Brooks, the woman with the bell.

From the Executive Director Welcome

TRADITIONAL BEE WEEK RETURNS, WITH SOME CHANGES Welcome to the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee!

Dr. J. Michael Durnil Executive Director, Scripps National Spelling Bee

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P H OTO G R A P H B Y H A R TO N G D I G I TA L M E D I A

All of us at the Bee are excited to be back to a more traditional Bee Week after the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bee team has taken great care to make sure the competition and activities this week will leave spellers, families, sponsors and fans buzzing about their time together in the hive.

I hope you take advantage of all the offerings to have a memorable experience.

This magazine is new this year and combines the favorite elements of the traditional Bee Keeper with expanded stories and information. You’ll learn even more about our spellers, UHDG DERXW IRUPHU FKDPSLRQV DQG JHW VRPH IXQ IDFWV RQ D IHZ RI WKH RIĆ FLDOV \RX PD\ encounter during Bee Week. Check out the exclusive illustration on pages 6–7, created for this magazine and for you.

Another change this year is that the Bee has a new broadcast home: ION, a national network owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, as well as Bounce, Laff and TrueReal, three other Scripps Networks. They will carry the Bee to our largest audience yet through more platforms than ever before. I hope you caught our one-hour “Road to the Bee” special that aired May 26 on ION and Bounce. It will re-broadcast on May 29, June 3 and June 5 on Newsy.

You have a big week ahead. Whether you are a regional champion, a family cheerleader or a proud sponsor, remember the Bee is about celebrating language, literacy and how knowledge of words can impact our world.

On behalf of all of us at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, I wish you the best.

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The Magazine Team

PUBLISHED & PRODUCED BY: Scripps National Spelling Bee (Dr. J. Michael Durnil, Executive Director) Cincinnati Magazine (Ivy Bayer, Publisher)

EDITOR Michael Perry

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Tyler Hyde (Scripps National Spelling Bee) Corrie Loeffler (Scripps National Spelling Bee) Maggie Lorenz (Scripps National Spelling Bee) Tammy Riddle (Scripps National Spelling Bee) Ashley Tongret (Scripps National Spelling Bee) Amanda Boyd Walters (Cincinnati Magazine)

ART DIRECTOR Emi Villavicencio (Cincinnati Magazine)

REPORTERS Akshay Ahuja, Amy Blakely, Luc Calagsing, Katherine Connolly, Kelly Leon, Corrie Loeffler, Rebecca McCarter, Molly Miossi, Michael Perry, Ishan Ramrakhiani, Shannon Russell

PHOTOGRAPHERS Mark Bowen, Glenn Hartong, Malinda Hartong

ILLUSTRATOR Kevin Necessary

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Vu Luong (Cincinnati Magazine)

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Missy Beiting (Cincinnati Magazine)

BUSINESS COORDINATOR Erica Birkle (Cincinnati Magazine)

SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE 312 Walnut St., 28th floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202 www.spellingbee.com

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Just Getting Started

THE FIRST OF MANY On Feb. 5, N’Adom Darko-Asare, who attends DPS International *KDQD EHFDPH WKH Ć UVW UHJLRQDO champion to qualify for the 2022 6FULSSV 1DWLRQDO 6SHOOLQJ %HH DORQJ ZLWK WZR RWKHU VSHOOHUV IURP WKH <RXQJ (GXFDWRUV )RXQGDWLRQ VSHOOLQJ EHH Darko-Asare (speller 42) turned 11 years old in March and is Ghana’s 15th champion. She LV WKH \RXQJHU sister of Kwabena Darko-Asare, Ghana’s 2019 champion.

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P H OTO G R A P H S B Y A L P H A PH R A PGHRSABPYHTYK O NOTO E P HGOTO

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Statistics

Gender

SPELLERS BY THE NUMBERS We’re usually all about the letters, but here’s a little math about the 234 spellers competing in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Age

105 128 1

)HPDOH VSHOOHUVb 0DOH VSHOOHUVb Non-binary speller

Grade

11 year olds

14 year olds

12 year olds

2 3 8 34 39 81 66 1

13 year olds

\HDU ROGVb \HDU ROGVb \HDU ROGVb \HDU ROGVb \HDU ROGVb \HDU ROGVb \HDU ROGVb 15 year old

8th graders

6th graders

7th graders

1 8 23 34 62 106

QG JUDGHUb WK JUDGHUVb WK JUDGHUVb WK JUDGHUVb WK JUDGHUVb WK JUDGHUV

Spelling in Their Blood 23 spellers have relatives who have participated in a combined 6FULSSV 1DWLRQDO 6SHOOLQJ %HHV b

Spell-peaters &RPLQJ LQWR WKLV \HDU VSHOOHUV have previously competed in the 6FULSSV 1DWLRQDO 6SHOOLQJ %HH b

School type

40 Private Schools

165

Public Schools

11 +RPH 6FKRROVb

11

7

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THE BUZZ TK Rubrik

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THE BUZZ Spellbound

KIDS VERSUS WORDS 7KH 6FULSSV 1DWLRQDO 6SHOOLQJ %HH LVQèW MXVW a competition. It’s a chance to make new friends, reconnect with old friends and celebrate the hard work all spellers put in WR JHW WR %HH :HHN 6SHOOHUV DUH LQ VWRUH IRU RQH RI WKH PRVW HQMR\DEOH DQG PHPRUDEOH experiences of their lives.

ILLUSTR ATION BY KEVIN NECESSARY

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THE BUZZ Schedule

2022 BEE WEEK SCHEDULE MONDAY, MAY 30 Welcome & Registration Hall of Champions – Maryland Foyer 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Spellers and parents should report to the Hall of Champions DW WKHLU SUHVHOHFWHG UHJLVWUDWLRQ WLPH

Opening Ceremony Maryland Ballroom 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Doors open at 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, MAY 31 Preliminaries (Rounds 1–3) Maryland Ballroom 9 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Streamed live on ION Plus and Bounce XL. Each speller will compete in up to three rounds in one turn GXULQJ WKH SUHOLPLQDULHV 6HH WKH Contest Rules of the 2022 6FULSSV 1DWLRQDO 6SHOOLQJ %HH for detailed format information: VSHOOLQJEHH FRP UXOHV

Preliminaries by Speller Number: Spellers 1 to 40 9 to 10:40 a.m.

Spellers 41 to 80 10:45 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.

Spellers 81 to 120 12:30 to 2:10 p.m.

Spellers 121 to 160 2:25 to 4:05 p.m.

Spellers 161 to 200 4:10 to 5:50 p.m.

Spellers 201+ 5:55 to 7:15 p.m.

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Visits to Planet Word WK 6W 1: :DVKLQJWRQ ' &

8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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Merriam-Webster Presentation 3HWHU 6RNRORZVNL (GLWRU DW /DUJH Maryland Ballroom 8 to 8:45 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 4XDUWHUĆ QDOV Maryland Ballroom 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Streamed live on ION Plus and Bounce XL.

6HPLĆ QDOV Maryland Ballroom 4 to 8 p.m.

2QVWDJH UHPDUNV EHJLQ DW S P Streamed live on ION Plus and Bounce XL. 7KH VHPLĆ QDOV ZLOO DLU IURP WR S P RQ ,21 DQG %RXQFH

THE BUZZ TK Rubrik

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 Camp Bee Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, various PHHWLQJ VSDFHV These are ticketed events.

Speller and Sponsor Desk hours 3URYLGLQJ LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG DVVLVWDQFH WR VSHOOHUV and sponsors Hall of Champions, Maryland Foyer

D.C. Area Tours

Monday, May 30 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 6 to 8:30 p.m.

9DULRXV UHJLRQDO ORFDWLRQV These are ticketed events.

Tuesday, May 31 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Finals

Wednesday, June 1 D P WR HQG RI VHPLĆ QDOV

Maryland Ballroom 8 to 10 p.m.

2QVWDJH UHPDUNV EHJLQ DW S P Broadcast live on ION and Bounce.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3 Camp Bee Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, various PHHWLQJ VSDFHV These are ticketed events.

D.C. Area Tours 9DULRXV UHJLRQDO ORFDWLRQV These are ticketed events.

Awards Banquet Maryland Ballroom 6 to 8 p.m.

This is a ticketed event.

Speller Farewell Party Cherry Blossom Ballroom 8 to 11 p.m.

Thursday, June 2 8 a.m. to noon, 6 to 11 p.m.

Friday, June 3 9 a.m. to noon

Media Desk hours 3URYLGLQJ LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG DVVLVWDQFH WR media members Inside main hallway of Gaylord conference space Tuesday, May 31 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 1 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Thursday, June 2 9 a.m. to noon 6 to 11 p.m.

Media contacts Rebecca McCarter rebecca.mccarter@scripps.com, (513) 410-2425 Michael Perry michael.perry@scripps.com, (513) 259-4718 Questions and requests can also be sent to PHGLD#VSHOOLQJEHH FRP

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Learn about the Competitors

We asked lots of questions.

The answers were fun, interesting and sometimes surprising.

Do you have any superstitions?

“Wearing red for spelling bees.”

Ananya Rao Prassanna (speller 129), Omaha, Nebraska “ Whenever somebody says something that could possibly ‘jinx’ something, I knock on wood to unjinx it.”

Dominic Marroquin (speller 47), Olathe, Kansas “My best friend Lily dyes my hair before every important soccer tournament for good luck.

She also did it before the regional spelling bee.

Originally, it was something I was inspired to do after reading Megan Rapinoe’s biography where she talks about impulsively dying her hair and the freedom that followed.”

Emmie Rakes (speller 44), Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho “I feel like the number 5 is becoming my lucky number because that is my jersey number for my soccer team and is the number I had for the Big Country Area Spelling Bee this year, which brought me to nationals.”

Tessa Jones (speller 132), Tuscola, Texas “My dad always wears orange when I spell.”

Andrew Yeager (speller 124), Doylestown, Ohio

“I would like to have an interview with Zalia Avant-garde because she has become such a spelling idol in the spelling world.”

Nagi Aitbayeva (speller 185), Syracuse, New York “I would like to have dinner with Kylian Mbappe because he is my favorite soccer player. I like him because he inspires me to improve my game and he also donated all of his World Cup winnings to charity.”

Advaith Balakrishnan (speller 67), Hinsdale, Illinois

Who is your role model?

“My fourth-grade teacher Mr. Cheney because he’s fun and teaches beyond the textbook. He once threw a yardstick across the room to imitate a spear. He made up Mr. and Mrs. Glacier. He is 6’ 4” and dresses as Abe Lincoln for school events but drives a tiny car.”

Merit Namaste-Rose (speller 51), Oregon, Illinois “My grandpa Larry because he is cool and nice.”

Sam Passe (speller 93), Wabasha, Minnesota “Alireza Firouzja (an 18-year-old chess player) because he is the youngest chess Grandmaster ever to get a rating of 2,800. He is really good for his age and is probably going to be the world champion soon.”

Armaan Singhvi (speller 182), Nashville, Tennessee “My role model is Martin Luther King Jr. He fought for justice and equality for people like me. Without activists like him, I wouldn’t have the rights I have today and wouldn’t have a vision of how to speak up for my beliefs as he did.”

Sulayman Abdirahman (speller 83), Roxbury, Massachusetts “My parents, because they’re good people.”

Abigail Lollis (speller 166), Sanford, North Carolina

What’s your favorite word?

What famous person would you like to have dinner with?

“Cow. Because I love cows” Cole Moore (speller 228), Gonzales, Texas

“David Baszucki, the founder of Roblox.

Because Roblox is my favorite game.”

Aydin Jones (speller 39), Waldorf, Maryland

“Hiatus. I was able to teach this word to many people and it made me feel a bit like a teacher.”

Jonathan Dezir (speller 58), Joliet, Illinois

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P H OTO G R A P H S V I A A D O B E S TO C K

GET TO KNOW THE SPELLERS

“Native American ballet dancer Maria Tallchief. She was teased a lot when she was young because of many reasons, including her name, but she didn’t stop doing what she wanted to do. She didn’t let the teasing change her attitude on life.”

Julianne Liliestedt (speller 145), Canton, Ohio

THE BUZZ

Learn about the Competitors

“Defenestrate. I like this word because it means to throw something out of a window. I find it amusing that there is a word for this.”

Nesika Bellville (speller 50), Longville, Minnesota ê0HOOLć XRXV ,WèV UHDOO\ IXQ WR VD\ ë Gustavo Brignoni (speller 116), Dorado, Puerto Rico ê/OXOODLOODFR EHFDXVH LW LV D YHU\ GLIĆ FXOW ZRUG and is not that common.”

Christian Cherian (speller 25), Ellicott City, Maryland “Mbaqanga. The word looks weird and even a little bit ugly, it breaks some of English’s spelling rules (no mb at the beginning, u always comes after q), and when I say the word in my head it sounds like what the word means, which is a South African dance music that combines traditional elements, such drumming and chanting, with modern music, such as jazz.”

Joshua Diocares (speller 6), Grand Rapids, Michigan

What’s your hidden talent? “… I can do many voices.”

Aditi Shashidhara (speller 92), Bentonville, Arkansas “Memorizing 30+ digits of pi and jumping rope.”

Logan Edwards (speller 112), Greer, South Carolina “I am a dog whisperer.”

Brielle Brown (speller 90), Lake Crystal, Minnesota “I make the best chocolate chip cookies.”

Luna Gasevic (speller 138), Fargo, North Dakota

What’s your favorite food?

“My Nonna’s pasta. That woman is a saint, and you can feel the love in every bite. No, really.

It’s true.”

3DUNHU 3DFLĆ FR VSHOOHU &KHVWHUODQG 2KLR

“Minestrone soup. I like all cuisines, especially Indian and Italian. I’ve been eating minestrone soup since I was really young and it’s healthy, too, so I love it.”

Harini Logan (speller 231), San Antonio, Texas “My favorite food is sushi. It is easy to make and tastes exquisite.”

Maria Del Carmen Sanchez (speller 219), Nassau, Bahamas

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

“Dory. She is always happy and joking around during rough times.

7KLV OLJKWHQV WKH PRRG DQG FRQć LFW 6KH DOZD\V PDNHV PH ODXJK ë Kaitlyn Lee, Raleigh (speller 195), North Carolina “Belle. We both love to read.”

Peyton DeMichele (speller 227), Gainesville, Virginia “Wile E. Coyote. Though I frown on his apparent life goal, his persistence is admirable.”

Aliyah Alpert (speller 87), Prescott, Arizona “Wild Kratts. They make learning about animals exciting.”

Lainey Gardner (speller 175), Van Wert, Ohio

What is your favorite movie? “‘Wonder’ is a very inspiring movie to me, as it showcases the life of a child who hasn’t always fit in. It shows me that being unique is OK and that I should embrace the things that make me stick out.”

Michael Kolagani (speller 168), Austin, Texas “‘Pixels’ because the movie is about video games.”

Cyrus Law (speller 115), Painted Post, New York “‘The Art of Racing in the Rain.’ It made me cry but I loved the dog.”

Pahrto Asadi (speller 233), Virginia Beach, Virginia

“Pork belly adobo. My parents make it all the time, so there are many good memories attached to the dish. It’s a Filipino dish that has pork with a sauce mainly of vinegar and soy sauce.”

Leanna Gonzales (speller 215), Fredericksburg, Virginia

“‘Mulan’ (Live Action) is my favorite movie because I prefer live action movies and I like the storyline in this version of ‘Mulan.’ ” Ellette Whitcomb (speller 121), Missoula, Montana

“Pizza. It’s basic, but it’s a lovable classic.”

Abram Polley (speller 29), Martinsville, Indiana

Who is your favorite athlete?

“Macaroni and cheese. You can have it in so many ways.”

Wyatt Jalocha (speller 28), Free Soil, Michigan

“Rafael Nadal. I have read his autobiography and he is an epitome of resiliency and discipline.”

Pranav Anandh (speller 118), Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

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THE BUZZ

Learn about the Competitors

“LeBron James. He is a legend.”

Ka’Mauri Best (speller 110), Wilson, North Carolina “Ibtihaj Muhammad. She’s a Muslim, and fencing is certainly an interesting sport. I read her novel, and it was really amazing to read her struggles and victories as she grew up.”

Daanya Butt (speller 137), Oneonta, New York “Allyson Felix because she won a gold medal in the 400-meter dash in the Olympics last year.

I also admire her determination to continue to pursue her dreams despite challenges she may have faced.”

Addison Champion (speller 114), Shelby, North Carolina “M.S. Dhoni—An Indian cricketer.”

Vikrant Chintanaboina (speller 12), San Jose, California

What is your favorite book? “‘Violet Evergarden’ by Kana Akatsuki. It’s my favorite book because it makes you very emotional. It touches your heart and makes you sad but happy at the same time.

Ariel Alhouwari (speller 133), Memphis, Tennessee “‘Wildwood.’ I like it because it is adventurous, and they live in Portland where I am.”

Dahlia Cunningham (speller 162), Portland, Oregon “Any Harry Potter book. They are a fun way to break the world of reality and go deep into fantastical events.”

Jose Garcia (speller 70), Cape Coral, Florida

What career do you want to pursue?

“I would like to be a writer/author of dystopian novels, SRVVLEO\ DORQJ ZLWK IDQWDV\ UHDOLVWLF Ć FWLRQ DQG poetry books.”

Elise Cournoyer (speller 214), Richmond, Vermont “I want to own my own dance studio.”

Paula Daglieri (speller 123), West Greenwich, Rhode Island “Aircraft engineer or pilot.”

Harsha Dinesh (speller 209), Ashburn, Virginia

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“Freelance artist or animator.”

Amelia Glass (speller 101), Porters Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada “Pediatrician.”

Maya Jean Jadhav (speller 208), Fitchburg, Wisconsin

What is your favorite place to visit?

“I like visiting my aunt and uncle’s cabin in northern Wisconsin because I enjoy lake activities and the loons.”

Edith Dawson (speller 7), Mount Vernon, Iowa “My favorite place to visit is the public library.”

Japleen Dhillon (speller 89), Fresno, California “I love to visit Canada, California and New Jersey, which are all places where my extended family lives in.”

Aisha Haque (speller 61), Frederick, Maryland “Clearwater Beach, Florida.”

Noemie Jackson-Weaver (speller 23), Upper Marlboro, Maryland “Taco Bell.”

Luke LaValley (speller 86), North Branch, Michigan “Columbus, Ohio, to visit our many relatives there.”

Henry Olsen (speller 71), Peoria, Illinois

Who is your favorite historical figure? ê*KDQGL +HèV D JRRG H[DPSOH RI KRZ Ć JKWLQJ IRU what’s right doesn’t have to involve violence.”

Eli Cokelet (speller 31), Lawrence, Kansas “Theodore Roosevelt. People were inspired when he refused to shoot the bear during a Mississippi hunting trip.

And people created teddy bears after this event. This fascinates me and I like teddy bears.”

Achyut Ethiraj (speller 11), Fort Wayne, Indiana “Jackie Robinson inspired me to play baseball and to challenge myself.”

David Fyffe (speller 117), Garnerville, New York “Alexander Hamilton. He was an important Ć JXUH LQ WKH PDNLQJ RI $PHULFD DQG KLV vision of America was similar to what we live in today. I admire him for shaping America through all odds.”

Rishi Jayakumar (speller 192), Mooresville, North Carolina

P H OTO G R A P H S V I A A D O B E S TO C K

“Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is my favorite because he stands out from all of the other players. He only practices with his team and he plays old school like Michael Jordan.”

Quinten Atutis (speller 2), Elizabeth, Illinois

THE BUZZ

Learn about the Competitors

What’s your favorite school subject?

“Math is pervasive with its shapes, patterns, and numbers creating the amazing world around us.”

Dhroov Bharatia (speller 102), Plano, Texas “Science. I love learning how things work.”

Ava Anderson ( (speller 127), Nyssa, Oregon “History. Learning about the history of the world just fascinates me so much. I can never learn enough about anything in history.”

Parker Dodge (speller 180), Vermilion, Ohio “Math and science. I like to master new strategies in math, and science is so interesting as it helps me understand why things happen the way they do.”

Sydney Graham (speller 14), Panama City, Florida “Physical Education. I like to be physically active.”

Jeffrey Hsia (speller 64), Fruitland, Maryland

What’s your favorite TV show ? “‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot with David Suchet.’ It takes Agatha Christie’s books and breaks them down into action-packed chunks that are faithful to the novels and also brain-engaging.”

0LULDP &DPSĆ HOG VSHOOHU .QR[YLOOH 7HQQHVVHH “A tie between ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation.’ ‘Doctor Who’ is just a great sci-fi show, and TNG was the first show I ever really watched—something about it, especially the hopeful vision of the future, grabbed me.”

Katherine Connolly (speller 194), Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

“‘Modern Family.’ It never fails to make me laugh. I also love the diversity in the show—I was so happy to see someone speaking Spanish and appreciating Hispanic culture.”

6RSKLD /RSH] VSHOOHU 6SULQJĆ HOG 2KLR

What’s your favorite candy?

“Baby Bottle Pop. The mixture of the sour powder and the sweet candy that the bottle contains is very tasty.”

Riya Anumakonda (speller 183), Burlington, North Carolina “Dark chocolate (Hershey’s bar, M&Ms, whatever!). Dark chocolate rules.”

Wes Cooper (speller 3), La Porte, Indiana “Airhead Extremes. I love eating this while skiing. We call it rainbow bacon.”

Hudson Himmerich (speller 211), Cokeville, Wyoming “Smarties. They taste great and you get a lot of them in one package.”

Miles Hubbert (speller 37), Centreville, Maryland “Twix. I like the soft and crispy components to Twix. The texture is the winning component for me.”

Riya Koya (speller 73), Carmel, Indiana “Skittles. I like candies that have IUXLW\ ć DYRU ë Saketh Madhusudhan (speller 75), Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Who is your favorite actor/actress?

“Timothée Chalamet. ‘Dune’ is one of my favorite movies. He is a very talented actor.”

Angelina Gampala (speller 35), Canton, Michigan “My favorite actor is Ryan Reynolds because he is super funny and successful.”

Krishang Indaana (speller 126), Pomona, New York

“‘Stranger Things.’ It is such a creative show. I enjoy the concept: a group of teenagers whose lives change when a creature takes over their town and it is their job to save it. The actors and actresses are on point as well.”

Isabella Cowan (speller 54), Windsor, Ontario, Canada

“Madison Reyes. She has a beautiful and powerful singing voice. Her work on the show ‘Julie and the Phantoms’ is heartbreaking—her portrayal of delicate emotions is unique.”

Sirjana Kaur (speller 232), Redmond, Washington

“‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ because it’s a good show.”

Mackenzie Harmon (speller 96), Central Lake, Michigan

“Tom Hanks is a versatile and engaging actor who replicates intricate emotions in certain situations during movies very well.

He is also in many movies that I like.”

Gavin Maxey (speller 220), Ringgold, Virginia

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THE BUZZ

What You Need To Know

ABCs OF THE BEE Since spellers love letters, we used all 26 to provide some trivia about the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

A

LPHABET

Just 26 letters and so many combinations! Elite spellers are deft manipulators of the alphabet, mastering patterns and the meanings behind them, seeing a word’s entire history in its VSHFLĆF VHTXHQFH RI OHWWHUV

B

ELL

All but the very best (and luckiest!) spellers hear the dreaded bell ring at some point, signaling the end of their VSHOOLQJ EHH MRXUQH\ 7XUQ WR SDJH WR OHDUQ DERXW WKH KLVWRU\ RI WKH EHOO IURP +HDG -XGJH 0DU\ %URRNV

C

APITAL

(YHU\ 1DWLRQDO 6SHOOLQJ %HH VLQFH WKH ĆUVW KDV EHHQ KHOG LQ RU QHDU WKH QDWLRQèV FDSLWDO :DVKLQJWRQ ' & ZLWK RQH H[FHSWLRQ LQ 2UODQGR )ORULGD 7KLV \HDUèV VSHOOHUV ZLOO H[SORUH WKH FDSLWDO ZLWK YDULRXV WRXUV DQG D WULS WR 3ODQHW :RUG ' & èV QHZ LPPHUVLYH ODQJXDJH PXVHXP

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THE BUZZ

Spelling Bee Host

art, that craft and I love to read them. Some of my favorite children’s books and authors are “Amazing Grace” by Mary Hoffman, “Enemy Pie” by Derek Munson and “The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm,” which I co-wrote with Susan Schaefer Bernardo in 2014.

What do you enjoy about reading?

LEVAR BURTON Dedicated to the power of storytelling. – K ATHERINE CONNOLLY, SPELLER CORRESPONDENT LEVAR BURTON IS HOST OF THE 2022 SCRIPPS NATIONAL Spelling Bee. He is an acclaimed actor, director, educator and lifelong children’s literacy advocate who has entertained generations as former host and executive producer of PBS’s “Reading Rainbow” (1983–2006); starring as Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed television miniseries “Roots” (1977); and as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” television series (1987–1994).

Burton answered some questions from speller correspondent Katherine Connolly (speller 194).

What are some of your favorite books and genres of books to read? Why? My go-to genre since childhood is science fiction, including VSHFXODWLYH Ć FWLRQ DQG VKRUW Ć FWLRQ ZLWK LQWHUZRYHQ WKHPHV WKDW speak to social justice, civil rights and the human condition. I love VKRUW Ć FWLRQ 7KHUHèV D UHDO DUW WR ZULWLQJ D VDWLVI\LQJ VWRU\WHOOLQJ experience; a beginning, a middle and an end in 30 to 40 pages.

It’s not easy to do, and there are people who have mastered that

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What makes you so passionate about sharing stories?

I’ve dedicated my life to the power of storytelling. Whether I’m acting, directing, writing or podcasting, I believe sharing stories is what I was born to do because storytelling is what brings us all together.

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

Anything by Stevie Wonder.

What is your favorite thing about your experiences with Star Trek: The Next Generation?

We are family to one another, have great chemistry on and off set and we are all lifelong friends.

Are there any lessons that you think are particularly applicable to today’s world?

Star Trek was one of the very few representations of the future I encountered as a kid where people who looked like me were represented. In an era in America where it was rare to see Black people on TV except on the nightly news during the Vietnam War when most of the soldiers we were sending were Black kids, Star Trek was huge. What Gene Roddenberry, as a storyteller, was saying to me was, “When the future comes, there’s a place for you.” So, I clung onto that example of Black people in the future.

P H OTO G R A P H S B Y M A S T E R C L A S S ( L E VA R ) A N D P R O V I D E D B Y T H E FA M I LY O F K AT H E R I N E C O N N O L LY

My love of reading comes from my mother, Erma Gene Christian. She was a social worker, administrator and educator ZKRVH ORYLQJ LQć XHQFH PDGH DOO WKLQJV SRVVLEOH ,èP WKH PDQ , DP EHFDXVH VKH LV WKH ZRPDQ VKH ZDV 0\ Ć UVW WHDFKHU DQG DQ DYLG reader, Erma not only read to me, she read in front of me. … She provided me with the best weapon she could—and that was a quality education.

THE BUZZ

The Voice of the Bee

CALLING THE GAME SINCE 2006 Is spelling a sport?

Broadcaster and former WTIPPIV 4EYP 0SIǪ IV thinks so. —CORRIE LOEFFLER

What do you do the rest of the year?

I talk a lot. I announce the Fresno State Bulldog games for football, basketball and baseball. I interview veterans for a syndicated radio VKRZ LQVSLUHG E\ RXU JUDQGSD , VHUYH RQ D IHZ QRQSURĆ W ERDUGV including Honor Flight.

Was there a speller who really blew you away?

The whole Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam thing in 2015 was one of the greatest Bee moments. Vanya was polished, prepared, experienced, poised. And Gokul had that kind of “drop the mic” attitude. In boxing they always talk about Ali/Frasier. In the Bee, Vanya/Gokul was the most epic battle. Everyone watching wanted both to win, and they did.

Do you think of spelling as a sport?

Absolutely. I’ve called so many intense games, called a College World Series, announced some of the best players on the planet.

Winning the Bee requires so many of the same attributes. It takes intense preparation and endurance. Find another competition that has virtually zero margin for error. When it gets down to those last

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few spellers—the suspense, the anticipation, the experience the viewer has of hanging on every letter—it’s every bit as captivating as the championship of any sport.

What’s it like working on the broadcast?

It’s pretty crazy, the list of talented people who’ve been on the broadcast. Robin Roberts, Stuart Scott, Tom Bergeron, Matt Barrie, Kevin Negandhi, now LeVar Burton: People who’ve seen everything and been at the biggest events. These people are not easily wowed, but the kids always wow them.

How wild is it that we’re both still involved with the Bee? You know we have Mom to thank for that. How different both our lives would’ve been if we didn’t have a mom encouraging us and holding us accountable. You owe it to the sponsors to represent, so she told me for every hour I studied she’d give me a pack of baseball cards. That’s why I made it as far as I did.

P H OTO G R A P H P R O V I D E D B Y CO R R I E LO E F F L E R

I WAS FIRST STUNG BY THE SCRIPPS NATIONAL Spelling Bee when my big brother Paul tied for 13th place in 1990. Thirty-two years later, I am the Bee’s director of editorial programs and national partnerships, and Paul, a sportscaster, has announced every Bee championship since 2006.

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THE BUZZ 7KH 2IĆ FLDO 3URQRXQFHU

DR. JACQUES BAILLY Want to know what the Bee’s longtime pronouncer is like when he’s not behind the microphone?

Keep reading. —ISHAN RAMRAKHIANI,

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T H E S C R I P P S N AT I O N A L S P E L L I N G B E E A N D T H E FA M I LY O F I S H A N R A M R A K H I A N I

SPELLER CORRESPONDENT DR. JACQUES BAILLY IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE SCRIPPS National Spelling Bee. An associate professor of classics at the 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 9HUPRQW KH KDV EHHQ WKH RIĆ FLDO SURQRXQFHU RI WKH %HH since 2003. And, oh, by the way, he was the 1980 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. And yes, that was Bailly playing himself in the 2006 movie “Akeelah and the Bee.” Bailly agreed to respond to some questions from speller correspondent Ishan Ramrakhiani (speller 5).

What made you want to start spelling competitively? ,Q VL[WK JUDGH , ZDV LQ D QHZ VFKRRO $IWHU WKH Ć UVW spelling quiz in class, the teacher, Sister Eileen, asked those of us who scored highly if we wanted to join the spelling club. I did—and made some good new friends. And for the next three years, I tried to win a spelling bee, but I didn’t win until eighth grade, when I won them all.

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I like woodworking, but I rarely get the time to do it. Gardening, too: it’s so rewarding to see seeds grow or plants bloom and produce.

I’ve also sewn quilts with my wife: I often do a lot of the designing and fabric cutting and some of the piecework sewing, and my wife provides the sewing expertise. Over the years, I’ve greatly enjoyed making picture books of our vacations, from slot canyons to Prague.

We’ve put four additions on our house, and I’ve been the general contractor for all of them, which was challenging and rewarding.

How many languages do you know?

Which was the hardest to learn?

So, I know English, as you know, but I am still constantly learning it. I am pretty good at reading German and French and can speak them readily if not always correctly. I read and teach Ancient Greek and Latin, but I am constantly humbled and inspired by colleagues and predecessors who are so much better than I’ll ever be. I’ve taken a year of Mandarin Chinese and acquired a tremendous respect for those who learn it as non-natives. I’ve also taken more than a year each of Old Norse, Sanskrit and Arabic, which are very much works in progress. I should say that I’ve also taken a semester of Hittite and a bit of Old Church Slavonic, but those were mere tastes. As for which is hardest, Arabic or Chinese, hands down. Arabic is hard because the grammar and vocabulary are so different from English. Chinese is hard for that reason, too, but more so because of the characters: they add years to the task.

Have you ever stumbled while pronouncing a word?

Of course: humans aren’t perfect, and I’m human. Mostly, I realize it immediately and simply correct myself. Once in a great while, Dr. (Brian) Sietsema gives me a nudge to let me know that I missed something. Every one of us has a slightly different English than everyone else, and the pronunciations in the dictionary are a sort of average of how those words are pronounced by the people who use them.

What is one piece of advice spellers should hear?

You will, eventually, be asked to spell a word you are not 100% certain about, maybe because you can’t remember it well enough or maybe because you have never even seen it. At that point, you need to “guess.” You can and should practice for that. If you do have to guess, keep it simple. Believe it or not, most words are spelled how they sound, whether that’s on a schoolroom spelling test or at the national bee, so that is your best bet.

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THE BUZZ 7KH /LQJXLVW

Talking about word meaning could get so honkenbonkers, if that were a word.

–LUC CAL AGSING, SPELLER CORRESPONDENT BEN ZIMMER HAS BEEN OVERSEEING THE WORD MEANING questions at the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2020. Since studying linguistic anthropology at the University of Chicago, he has edited dictionaries, worked with a variety of pedagogical platforms to help users improve their vocabularies and spread a love of language through his writing. Zimmer got on Zoom with speller correspondent Luc Calagsing (speller 120) to talk about how words always stay on the move.

How did you get started with words?

I had always been a big dictionary buff from when I was a kid. I wasn’t a champion speller, but I did spend a lot of time paging through unabridged dictionaries looking up cool words. Lately, I have mostly been a freelance writer. I write a column for the Wall Street Journal on words in the news called “Word on the Street.” I am also the chair of the New Words Committee for the American Dialect Society.

One fun thing that we do is select a Word of the Year.

It doesn’t have to be a brand-new word. It just has to be newly noteworthy. The word that was chosen for 2020, for instance, was COVID. Before 2020, that word did not exist, until the World Health Organization decided that that would be an acronym that we would use to talk about the disease caused by the coronavirus.

What do you think Word Meaning adds to the Bee? The word meaning rounds have been a wonderful opportunity for Bee competitors to show that their mastery of words isn’t limited to simply memorizing how words are spelled. Instead, the questions demonstrate that the key to success in the Bee is understanding words holistically and appreciating how the surface spelling and the underlying meaning of words are deeply connected.

History Histo Hi ory y hass a lot to do with word meaning. me It’s true. When you think about a word or phrase, you also have to learn the history of all the cultures that the word travels through.

One of my favorite examples is “orange,” the color and the fruit.

You can follow the progress of what was once naranga in Sanskrit and southeast Asian languages as it travels along with the fruit. It enters Arabic as Arab traders were bringing the fruits to Europe, DQG WKHQ LW HQWHUV (XURSHDQ ODQJXDJHV ,W SDVVHG WKURXJK Ć YH RU six languages on its way to English before we get the word that we know as “orange.” Sometimes the way that words change over time is like the telephone game, where you whisper to someone and that person tries to whisper the same thing, but it gets changed a little bit at every step. Each change contributes to the evolution of a word or a phrase.

Do y you o th ou think hink n th that hat wo word words ds w will illl continue to evolve, even the century? evol ollve, ev eve en in n th he 21 21stt c entu en ury r ?

They are always evolving. Sometimes that evolution feels like it has accelerated. Social media is a great example of that. There are all these ways that language can travel in the blink of an eye that did not exist before. That also means that a new word or phrase can spread quickly and then disappear just as quickly. There was a high school kid a few years ago who was trying to get everybody to use the word “honkenbonkers.” He just liked the way it sounded. He was putting it on T-shirts, and he wanted people to say, “That’s so honkenbonkers,” like “That’s so crazy.” He had a little bit of success, but you’re not going WR Ć QG êKRQNHQERQNHUVë LQ DQ\ of the major dictionaries—at least not yet!

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I N T E R V I E W CO M P I L E D B Y A K S H AY A H UJ A / P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T H E S C R I P P S N AT I O N A L S P E L L I N G B E E A N D T H E FA M I LY O F LU C C A L A G S I N G

BEN ZIMMER

What makes something a Word of the Year?

GUIDE TO ALL 234 SPELLERS

2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee INSIDE

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SPELLER GUIDE The Details

THREE THINGS SPELLERS NEED TO KNOW This special insert contains all 234 of the spellers competing in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Here is some helpful information before you start turning the pages.

1. Collecting autographs is a good way to get to know each other Autograph collection is a time-honored speller tradition and a big part of the Bee Week experience.

You can pull out this insert to get autographs, or you can keep the magazine together. This insert has all spellers competing, organized by speller number, and there’s also a blank page on the back with space IRU DXWRJUDSKV IURP RIĆFLDOV DQG %HH FKDPSLRQV bbb Just think about this: Someone in the next 59 pages will take home the Scripps Cup!

For friends and family watching back home, this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee semifinals (live to tape, :HGQHVGD\ -XQH DW S P DQG ĆQDOV OLYH 7KXUVGD\ -XQH 2 at 8 p.m.) are being televised on ION and Bounce. They will also be simulcast on Laff and TrueReal. It will re-broadcast RQ -XQH DQG -XQH RQ 1HZV\ b To watch the preliminaries, starting at 9 a.m. on 7XHVGD\ 0D\ DQG WKH TXDUWHUĆQDOV VWDUWLQJ DW D P on Wednesday, June 1, go to free streaming platforms on the ION Plus and Bounce XL channels. These are available via free apps on Smart TVs (Samsung TV+ and Vizio Watchfree+) and other free apps (Roku Channel and Pluto TV) that can be accessed through Smart TVs and connected TV devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV. The ĆQDOV ZLOO DOVR EH VWUHDPHG b Visit spellingbee.com/competition for instructions on KRZ WR ZDWFK WKH %HH LQ \RXU DUHD b

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P H OTO G R A P H P R O V I D E D B Y R O O K W O O D P OT T E R Y

2. How to watch the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee on TV

SPELLER GUIDE 7KH 'HWDLOV

3. 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee prizes For all spellers From the Scripps National Spelling Bee • 3UL]H SDFNDJH LQFOXGLQJ %HH VRXYHQLUV DQG DQ RIĆFLDO FHUWLĆFDWH of participation From Merriam-Webster • One-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online From Jay Sugarman • 2022 U.S. Mint proof set, given in honor of his father Samuel Louis Sugarman, who revered academic achievement From Encyclopædia Britannica • One-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium

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From the Scripps National Spelling Bee • Commemorative pin • $100 gift card

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From the Scripps National Spelling Bee • Commemorative medal • $500 gift card

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From the Scripps National Spelling Bee • Commemorative medal, and: • 0LVV LQ ĆUVW URXQG RI ĆQDOV WKURXJK WR WK SODFH • 6th place - $2,500 • 5th place - $5,000 • 4th place - $10,000 • 3rd place - $15,000 • 2nd place - $25,000

)RU WKH FKDPSLRQ * From the Scripps National Spelling Bee • $50,000 cash • Commemorative medal • 7KH 6FULSSV &XS WKH RIĆFLDO FKDPSLRQVKLS WURSK\ RI WKH 6FULSSV National Spelling Bee From Merriam-Webster • $2,500 cash and reference library From Encyclopædia Britannica • RI UHIHUHQFH ZRUNV LQFOXGLQJ D (QF\FORS¨GLD Britannica © Replica Set and a three-year membership to Britannica Online © Premium

)RU WKH FKDPSLRQèV VFKRRO DQG VSRQVRU From the Scripps National Spelling Bee • Engraved commemorative plaques

Note: 4XDUWHUĆQDOLVW VHPLĆQDOLVW ĆQDOLVW DQG champion monetary awards are not cumulative; that is, a speller moving on to the VHPLĆQDOV ZLOO QRW UHFHLYH ERWK WKH TXDUWHUĆQDOLVW DQG VHPLĆQDOLVW JLIW FDUGV EXW D TXDUWHUĆQDOLVW ZKR GRHV QRW TXDOLI\ IRU WKH VHPLĆQDOV ZLOO receive everything listed at WKH TXDUWHUĆQDOLVW OHYHO

* Spellers who are eliminated from the competition in the same round are assigned the same rank (place).

Spellers competing in the Spell-off (if activated) will be ranked according to the number of words spelled correctly. Find tie-breaker details in “The Contest Rules of the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee” at spellingbee.com/rules.

Misspellings during the Spell-off do not result in immediate elimination.

If two or more spellers tie for ĆUVW SODFH WKH FDVK SUL]H IRU each will be $50,000. Cash prizes for spellers who are tied for 2nd through 6th place will be determined by the method used in the following example: If three spellers tied for 4th place, the cash prize for each would be the sum of the prize amounts for 4th, 5th and 6th place divided by three; therefore, each speller tied for 4th place would receive

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Quinten enjoys all types of music and is learning how to play the guitar.

Sahasrad can solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than two minutes.

#1 SAHASRAD SATHISH

#2 QUINTEN S. ATUTIS

13 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Lake Forest Country Day School Lake &RXQW\ 5HJLRQDO 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ *UD\VODNH Illinois)

8th grade

River Ridge Middle School Carroll/ -R'DYLHVV 6WHSKHQVRQ 5HJLRQDO 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ )UHHSRUW ,OOLQRLV

Autographs FUN FACT Wes started playing catcher in baseball when he was 9 because no one else volunteered — he ended up loving it!

Charlie plays EDVHEDOO ultimate Frisbee and tennis.

#3 WESLEY COOPER

#4 CHARLIE PALMORE

10 years old

15 years old

4th grade

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Autographs

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8th grade

St. Albans School The Washington Informer :DVKLQJWRQ ' &

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Joshua is a fan of the Beatles and started learning to play guitar and bass because of their songs.

Ishan has a 3-year-old dog named Coco who is a Cavachon.

#5 ISHAN RAMRAKHIANI

#6 JOSHUA LINO DIOCARES

14 years old

12 years old

8th grade

Canterbury School SNSB Indiana Regional Bee (Roanoke, Indiana)

6th grade

Ridge Park Charter Academy Kent Intermediate School District (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Edith has a passion for birding, and she has seen several rare species, including the Common Redpoll and Snow Bunting.

#7 EDITH L. DAWSON 13 years old

8th grade

Mount Vernon Middle School Argus (Davenport, Iowa)

The Dispatch

Juan has played tennis since he was 7 years old and currently plays on his school’s tennis team.

#8 JUAN CRISTOBAL RONDEAU 13 years old

7th grade

Westminster Christian School Herald (Miami, Florida)

2022

The Miami

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BEE KEEPER

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Billy is a redblue belt in tang soo do at Kaizen Karate Academy in Camden, Delaware.

Naresh is a huge fan of soccer star Lionel Messi.

#9 NARESH RAM

#10 WILLIAM LEE SCIALLA

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Oakridge Middle School Collier County Public Schools (Naples, Florida)

8th grade

Fred Fifer III Middle School Delaware Spelling Bee (Wilmington, Delaware)

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Vikrant is learning to improve his ć \LQJ VNLOOV on Microsoft Flight Simulator and hopes to get a pilot’s license.

Achyut loves playing chess and placed fourth in an Indiana state chess tournament this year.

#11 ACHYUT ETHIRAJ 12 years old

6th grade

Maple Creek Middle School SNSB Indiana Regional Bee (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Autographs

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#12 VIKRANT CHINTANABOINA 13 years old

7th grade

Discovery Charter School Falcon Campus SNSB Regional Bee (Region Two) (San Jose, California)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Emma sails in the same bay as the USS Arizona, the sunken battleship from the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Sydney has been playing the violin for four years and sight-reads music.

#13 EMMA K. MALDARELLI

#14 SYDNEY GRAHAM

12 years old

14 years old

7th grade

La Pietra - Hawai’i School for Girls Hawaii State Spelling Bee (Honolulu, Hawaii)

8th grade

University Academy (Tallahassee, Florida)

Envision Credit Union

FUN FACT Lara loves to bake her favorite desserts: orange marmalade almond cake and tarte tatin.

#15 LARA K. RANDHAWA 13 years old

8th grade

Auburndale Intermediate School Riverside &RXQW\ 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ 5LYHUVLGH California)

FUN FACT Petra taught herself to play the recorder.

#16 PETRA ABENA ABRAFI SARPONG 12 years old

6th grade

Sarpong Home School Young Educators Foundation (Accra, Ghana)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Tejas loves to tinker with computers, and his favorite operating system is Linux.

Jia Xin loves drawing and has taken sketch classes for more than a year.

#17 TEJAS RAMAN

#18 JIA XIN SOPHIA LU

12 years old

11 years old

6th grade

Boulder Country Day School Boulder Valley School District (Boulder, Colorado)

6th grade

Riverside Elementary School University (Boise, Idaho)

Boise State

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Mihir likes visiting U.S. National Parks, and he has collected around 15 Junior Ranger badges so far.

#19 MIHIR S. KONKAPAKA

#20 BRAYDON JAMES SYX

11 years old

13 years old

6th grade

Connect Academy The San Diego Union-Tribune (San Diego, California)

Autographs

8

Braydon likes to play video games and enjoys indulging LQ Ć FWLWLRXV stories.

BEE KEEPER

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7th grade

West Blocton Middle School Alabama Kiwanis Foundation (Birmingham, Alabama)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT Amelia is a member of a competitive jump rope demonstration team and has performed throughout Maine.

FUN FACT Rehan loves to write poems.

#21 REHAN MATHEW KOSHY

#22 AMELIA MAE RICE

12 years old

South Bristol School Portland Press Herald/ Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, Maine)

13 years old

7th grade

Edison Regional Gifted Center SNSB Regional Bee for Illinois and Texas (Chicago, Illinois)

8th grade

FUN FACT

#23 NOEMIE EVA JACKSON-WEAVER 12 years old

For Halloween, Noemie dressed as a 1970s Monica Rambeau from “Wanda Vision”; the actress, Teyonah Parris, retweeted her photo.

6th grade

New Hope Academy The Washington Informer (Washington, D.C.)

FUN FACT John loves music and plays the piano, violin and drums.

#24 JOHN EOH 13 years old

8th grade

Fruitvale Junior High School %DNHUVĆ HOG &DOLIRUQLD

2022

KERO 23 ABC

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BEE KEEPER

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Christian has traveled to 12 countries and enjoyed experiencing different cultures.

#25 CHRISTIAN CHERIAN 11 years old

5th grade

Ilchester Elementary School Library (Columbia, Maryland)

Howard County

%URG\ TXDOLĆ HG for both all-state band and all-county band as a percussionist.

#26 BRODY BENJAMIN SANTOS 12 years old

7th grade

Saint Mark’s Episcopal School Herald (Miami, Florida)

The Miami

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Shradha loves math and participates in math competitions.

At the age of 6, Wyatt learned how to play the ukulele.

#27 SHRADHA ANJANA RACHAMREDDY

#28 WYATT JALOCHA

12 years old

O.J. DeJonge Middle School News (Ludington, Michigan)

6th grade

The Quarry Lane School SNSB Regional Bee (Region Two) (Dublin, California)

Autographs

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12 years old

6th grade Ludington Daily

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Matthew loves origami and knows how to fold a number of different airplanes.

Abram has over 30 Lego sets on display in his room.

#29 ABRAM M. POLLEY

#30 MATTHEW G. YI

14 years old

7 years old

8th grade

John R. Wooden Middle School Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana)

4th grade

My Brother’s Home School New Orleans Chapter of The Links (New Orleans, Louisiana)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Eli has recently tried his hand at pottery DQG Ć QGV LW relaxing.

Tejas can solve a 3x3 Rubik’s Cube in 57 seconds.

#31 ELI HOADLEY COKELET

#32 TEJAS J. KATIRA

13 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Liberty Memorial Central Middle School Kansas Press Association (Topeka, Kansas)

8th grade

Larsen Middle School Kane County Regional 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ *HQHYD ,OOLQRLV

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Julia collected personal care LWHPV WR Ć OO over 250 bags for homeless shelters over the past year and a half.

Varshitha loves to bake, especially pastries and bread, and her sourdough starter’s name is Weirdough.

#33 JULIA BROOKE SETTEVENDEMIE

#34 VARSHITHA CHOWDARY BOJANAPATI

13 years old

13 years old

8th grade

Mabelle B. Avery Middle School Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society (West Hartford, Connecticut)

7th grade

Jupiter Middle School SNSB Regional Bee (Region One) (Jupiter, Florida)

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Angelina loves to watch Marvel movies, and her favorite superheroes are Thor and Spider-Man.

Ananya’s favorite show is “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,” and “Nana” is a close second.

#35 ANGELINA C. GAMPALA

#36 ANANYA AUGUSTINE

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Canton Charter Academy (Detroit, Michigan)

Autographs

12

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WXYZ Channel 7

8th grade

Eagle’s Landing Middle School Georgia Association of Educators (Tucker, Georgia)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Last summer, Miles rode in a classic Oldsmobile 442 once owned by baseball great Bobby Bonilla.

Bruhat played handbells and chimes in the Hillsborough County Fine Arts Festival.

#37 MILES K. HUBBERT

#38 BRUHAT SOMA

10 years old

10 years old

4th grade

The Kent School Maryland Sports (Baltimore, Maryland)

5th grade

Turner Bartels K-8 School SNSB Regional Bee (Region One) (Tampa, Florida)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Isaac has an exceptional spelling coach who happens to be his identical twin brother, David.

When the weather is nice, Aydin likes to ride his bike and shoot some hoops.

#39 AYDIN M. JONES

#40 ISAAC A. MOROWITZ

12 years old

13 years old

6th grade

John Hanson Middle School Charles County Public Schools (La Plata, Maryland)

8th grade

Skinner North Classical School Public Schools (Chicago, Illinois)

2022

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Chicago

BEE KEEPER

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Noemi has won a few soccer tournaments.

N’Adom plays the piano and enjoys dancing.

#41 NOEMI ESTRELLA GALAN

#42 N’ADOM DARKO-ASARE

14 years old

DPS International Ghana Young Educators Foundation (Accra, Ghana)

11 years old

8th grade

St. Michael Catholic School Ball State University - WIPB-TV (Muncie, Indiana)

5th grade

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Sam loves to travel and especially enjoyed his trips to Iceland, Italy and Costa Rica.

#43 SAMUEL EVANS 14 years old

8th grade

Evans Family Homeschool (Jacksonville, Florida)

Autographs

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WJXT

Emmie is currently learning two languages, Spanish and Italian.

#44 EMERSON QUINN RAKES 14 years old

8th grade

Lakes Middle School Idaho Character Foundation (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Justin is learning to play the violin and enjoys exploring new songs on the piano.

Aiden has been an altar server at his local church for the past two years.

#45 JUSTIN TRAN

#46 AIDEN B.N. PHAM

12 years old

12 years old

7th grade

Chaparral Middle School Los Angeles Spelling Bee Collaborative (Studio City, California)

6th grade

Scott Middle School Kiwanis Club of Lafayette (Lafayette, Louisiana)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Dominic enjoys reading books about American History, especially Joy Hakim’s “A History of Us.”

Sahil likes to solve different Rubik’s Cubes and puzzles, and he taught himself origami at age 7.

#47 DOMINIC A. MARROQUIN

#48 SAHIL SACHIN THORAT

13 years old

Caddo Middle Magnet School Louisiana State University Shreveport (Shreveport, Louisiana)

12 years old

8th grade

Santa Fe Trail Middle School Schools (Olathe, Kansas)

Olathe Public

7th grade

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Joey was a member of his school’s football and basketball teams this year, and he ran track this spring.

Nesika has lived in three different states: Iowa, Oregon and Minnesota.

#49 JOSEPH SHANE FINNERTY

#50 NESIKA DAWN BELLVILLE

13 years old

14 years old

7th grade

East Tipp Middle School (Lafayette, Indiana)

Adult Learners, Inc.

8th grade

Pine River-Backus High School (Staples, Minnesota)

Sourcewell

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Merit has won school Ping-Pong tournaments and plays community pickleball.

Tristan loves singing and playing the guitar and the ukulele.

#51 MERIT HOPE NAMASTE-ROSE

#52 TRISTAN JULIAN SCHNEICHEL

14 years old

11 years old

8th grade

David L. Rahn Junior High School Regional 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ 6 WHUOLQJ ,OOLQRLV

Autographs

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6th grade

Revo Academy SAGE Publishing (Thousand Oaks, California)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Arnav was the 2020 U.S. History Bee national champion in the 6th grade division.

, VDEHOOD SOD\V travel soccer and travel EDVNHWEDOO DQG she prefers to play defense RQ ERWK WHDPV

#53 ARNAV KOLLURU 13 years old

#54 ISABELLA ROSANNA PAGLIAROLI COWAN

8th grade

Maroa-Forsyth Middle School Macon-Piatt 5HJLRQDO 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ 'HFDWXU ,OOLQRLV

#55 MAXIMILIAN F. FOLEY 12 years old

11 years old

6th grade

St. André )UHQFK ,PPHUVLRQ &DWKROLF :)&8 &UHGLW 8QLRQ Elementary School :LQGVRU 2QWDULR &DQDGD

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Max likes spicy food HVSHFLDOO\ KRW ZLQJV DQG made his own KRW VDXFH WKLV \HDU XVLQJ peppers from the family garden.

Annie-Lois was WKH RQO\ MXQLRU high school candidate to win gold at the Science Olympiad in Singapore.

6th grade

6W 0DU\ 6FKRRO 'HNDOE 'H.DOE 5HJLRQDO 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ ' H.DOE ,OOLQRLV

#56 ANNIE-LOIS AMA SERWAA ACHEAMONG 13 years old

8th grade

*KDQD &KULVWLDQ ,QWHUQDWLRQDO +LJK 6FKRRO RXQJ (GXFDWRUV )RXQGDWLRQ $FFUD *KDQD <

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Family is very important to Ana Guadalupe.

6KH KDV Ć YH siblings and loving and supportive parents.

Jonathan ZRXOG OLNH to continue playing soccer DOO WKH ZD\ WR college.

#57 ANA GUADALUPE M. VILLAGOMEZ

#58 JONATHAN DEZIR

13 years old

LQRRND -XQLRU +LJK 6FKRRO Grundy/Kendall 0 &RXQW\ 5HJLRQDO 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ 0RUULV ,OOLQRLV

7th grade

Grace Christian Academy (Hagåtña, Guam)

3DFLĆ F 'DLO\ 1HZV

13 years old

7th grade

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Jason is a MRXUQDOLVW IRU his school QHZVSDSHU

1DYWDM LV passionate about aviation.

#59 NAVTAJ K. SINGH

#60 JASON KHAN

11 years old

14 years old

5th grade

Sunnyside Elementary School 7ULEXQH /HZLVWRQ ,GDKR

Autographs

18

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/HZLVWRQ

8th grade

McAuliffe Middle School The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, California)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Levi began karate instruction in 2021 and aims to have his black belt before he graduates from high school.

Aisha won her school’s poetry award at the age of 8.

#61 AISHA SHOEB HAQUE

#62 LEVI T. GOULD

11 years old

12 years old

5th grade

Centerville Elementary School Frederick County Public Libraries (Frederick, Maryland)

7th grade

Gould Homeschool Lakes Country Service Cooperative (Fergus Falls, Minnesota)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Jeffrey plays three instruments, but his primary instrument is the violin.

Zoë has family all over the world, from Australia to Canada to Finland.

#63 ZOË A. KEITH

#64 JEFFREY JOBA HSIA

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Summit Middle School Boulder Valley School District (Boulder, Colorado)

8th grade

Bennett Middle School University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Maryland)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT Ekansh was a speller in the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee and witnessed the Octochamps’ win.

FUN FACT Faith loves to read and draw.

#65 EKANSH RASTOGI

#66 FAITH ZAPATA

13 years old

12 years old

8th grade

Markham Woods Middle School City SC (Orlando, Florida)

Orlando

6th grade

Palm View Elementary School Riverside &RXQW\ 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ 5LYHUVLGH California)

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT Advaith plays three musical instruments: piano, cello and recorder, and sings South Indian classical music.

#67 ADVAITH BALAKRISHNAN

#68 SE’LAH A. SUTTON

13 years old

13 years old

7th grade

Hinsdale Middle School ComEd, An Exelon Company (Chicago, Illinois)

Autographs

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Se’lah has traveled to Mexico, France, London, Georgia, South Carolina, Jamaica, Guyana and Honduras with their family.

8th grade

MacArthur Middle School Anne Arundel County Public Schools (Annapolis, Maryland)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Bryce can learn and play songs by ear, and he plays the cello, piano, guitar and drums.

Jose is a talented basketball player and says KH Ć QGV WUXH happiness in basketball.

#69 BRYCE CEDRIC ALARCON MELGAR

#70 JOSE D. GARCIA

12 years old

Challenger Middle School Lee County Spelling Bee (Fort Myers, Florida)

13 years old

7th grade

Ridgeview Middle School Visalia TimesDelta/Tulare Advance-Register (Visalia, California)

8th grade

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Henry loves heavy machinery, and he collects 1:87 scale diecast models of Caterpillar equipment.

Moksh plays PLGĆ HOG RQ D competitive soccer team and loves all things soccer.

#71 HENRY JOSEPH OLSEN

#72 MOKSH KANUKURTHY

14 years old

11 years old

8th grade

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School SNSB Regional Bee for Illinois and Texas (Peoria, Illinois)

5th grade

Valley Crossing Elementary School Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit (Arden Hills, Minnesota)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Emily is the seventh and youngest child in her family, and she is the fourth sibling to participate in the Bee.

Riya plays tennis, and her favorite shot is her forehand.

#73 RIYA AYISHA KOYA

#74 EMILY E. DOUDNA

14 years old

13 years old

8th grade

Carmel Middle School Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Indiana)

7th grade

IDEA - Fairbanks Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (Fairbanks, Alaska)

Autographs FUN FACT

#75 SAKETH MADHUSUDHAN 14 years old

8th grade

Oak Middle School Massachusetts)

The Daily Item (Lynn,

Autographs

22

Saketh is on the school speech team and has won numerous Ć UVW SODFH awards in the Massachusetts Speech and Debate League.

BEE KEEPER

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FUN FACT Vikram is working on a project exploring major applications of renewable energy.

#76 VIKRAM RAJU 12 years old

7th grade

Aurora Quest K-8 Colorado)

The Denver Post (Denver,

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Victor is interested in plants and their care, and he recently obtained a three-foottall snake plant.

John has played the piano since he was 7 years old.

#77 VICTOR A. ANDREWS

#78 JOHN K. FOLSOM

14 years old

13 years old

8th grade

East Middle School Oakland Schools Education Foundation (Waterford, Michigan)

7th grade

Van Avery Preparatory School Riverside &RXQW\ 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ 5LYHUVLGH California)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Shrey is the author of “The Corona Warriors” about two young brothers’ experiences in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lillian is cocaptain of her soccer team, which she has played on since 3rd grade.

#79 SHREY PARIKH

#80 LILLIAN ROSE WALLACE

10 years old

14 years old

4th grade

John L. Golden Elementary School San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (San Bernardino, California)

8th grade

Kennedy Middle School Macomb Intermediate School District (Clinton Township, Michigan)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Aaron was invited to the county science fair but skipped it for the regional spelling bee.

Akira taught herself to read Korean by watching YouTube videos.

#81 AKIRA S. HARRIS 14 years old

#82 AARON FRANCIS KUEBLER

8th grade

Patch Middle School (Stuttgart, Germany)

European PTA

12 years old

6th grade

St. Luke’s Lutheran School (Orlando, Florida)

Orlando City SC

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Avyay holds a Guinness World Record, having participated in the largest online simultaneous group chant.

Sulayman is great at Connect 4, Uno and other strategic games.

#83 SULAYMAN ABDIRAHMAN

#84 AVYAY KODALI

12 years old

Plum Grove Junior High School Pepper Construction and Wight & Company (Chicago, Illinois)

7th grade

Brooke Charter School Mattapan Boston Centers for Youth & Families (Boston, Massachusetts)

Autographs

24

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13 years old

7th grade

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

/XNH HQMR\V VZLPPLQJ LQ ponds and ODNHV DV ZHOO DV WDNLQJ OHLVXUHO\ ELF\FOH ULGHV LQ WKH FRXQWU\

Pihu solved KHU Ć UVW 500-piece puzzle when she was 6 years old.

#85 PIHU SAHAI

#86 LUKE R. LAVALLEY

14 years old

13 years old

WK JUDGH

8SWRQ 0LGGOH 6FKRRO 6W -RVHSK 0LFKLJDQ

The Herald Palladium

WK JUDGH

5XWK )R[ 0LGGOH 6FKRRO /DSHHU 0LFKLJDQ

7KH &RXQW\ 3UHVV

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Aliyah and her WZLQ EURWKHU -DFRE OLNH WR earn money E\ EXVNLQJ she plays Ć GGOH DQG KH SOD\V JXLWDU

Zain won an Award of ([FHOOHQFH IURP <RXQJ :ULWHUV RI Canada for his poem.

#87 ALIYAH RACHEL ALPERT

#88 ZAIN T. MALIK

11 years old

13 years old

WK JUDGH

$OSHUW +RPHVFKRRO $UL]RQD (GXFDWLRQDO )RXQGDWLRQ 6FRWWVGDOH $UL]RQD

WK JUDGH

$FDG«PLH 6WH &«FLOH ,QWHUQDWLRQDO 6FKRRO :)&8 &UHGLW 8QLRQ :LQGVRU 2QWDULR &DQDGD

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Japleen loves studying history and has a particular fondness for ancient times.

Brielle’s favorite place to water ski and slalom is on Birch Lake in northern Minnesota.

#89 JAPLEEN KAUR DHILLON

#90 BRIELLE ANNEMARIE BROWN

14 years old

13 years old

8th grade

Rio Vista Middle School 7KH 2IĆ FH RI WKH Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (Fresno, California)

7th grade

Maple River Middle School South Central Service Cooperative (North Mankato, Minnesota)

Autographs FUN FACT Aditi is passionate about climate change and environmental impact, and she likes to repurpose objects.

FUN FACT Daniel collects music CDs and vinyl records.

#91 DANIEL SANTIAGO LEMUS

#92 ADITI SHASHIDHARA

14 years old

Haas Hall Academy - Bentonville Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas (Jacksonville, Arkansas)

8th grade

Frank Wright Middle School Imperial County 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ (O &HQWUR &DOLIRUQLD

Autographs

26

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12 years old

7th grade

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

7KH Ć UVW Ć VK Nimal ever caught was D ć RXQGHU LQ Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Sam’s favorite basketball team is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

#93 SAMUEL JAMES PASSE

#94 NIMAL MURUGAN

14 years old

12 years old

8th grade

Wabasha-Kellogg Elementary School Southeast Service Cooperative (Rochester, Minnesota)

7th grade

South Forsyth Middle School Georgia Association of Educators (Tucker, Georgia)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Mackenzie is obsessed with listening to Olivia Rodrigo songs.

Kalleb likes to play Nintendo games.

#95 KALLEB OLIVEIRA 11 years old

5th grade

Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School The Martha’s Vineyard Times (Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts)

#96 MACKENZIE RENEA HARMON 11 years old

5th grade

Ellsworth Community School Traverse City Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Michigan)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

:ROĆ HèV favorite movie is “Toy Story,” and he can imitate almost all of the FKDUDFWHUVè voices.

Rumaysa has a newlydiscovered knack for writing rhyming poems.

#97 RUMAYSA NADEEM 13 years old

8th grade

Furqaan Academy ComEd, An Exelon Company (Chicago, Illinois)

#98 WOLFGANG WINSTON SCHAFF 14 years old

8th grade

Schaff Family Homeschool Boone:LQQHEDJR 5HJLRQDO 2IĆ FH RI (GXFDWLRQ (Loves Park, Illinois)

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Vikram enjoys playing sports and video games with his friends and family.

Randell loves Ć VKLQJ DQG he is top of his class in mathematics.

#99 VIKRAM SUNIL C. REDDY

#100 RANDELL JOHN TOTANES RHOADS

14 years old

11 years old

8th grade

Robert Frost Middle School Group (Bethesda, Maryland)

Autographs

28

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The Meakem

5th grade

Knik Elementary School Anchorage Daily News (Anchorage, Alaska)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Amelia has traveled all over the world, and names France as her favorite destination so far.

Dhroov was awarded the top Robotics and Intelligent Machines Award for an earthquake early warning system.

#101 AMELIA SUSANNA GLASS

#102 DHROOV V. BHARATIA

13 years old

Wilson Middle School Dallas Sports Commission (Dallas, Texas)

7th grade

King’s-Edgehill School Cape Breton University (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada)

13 years old

8th grade

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Sophia’s favorite stroke in swimming is EXWWHUć \ DQG her favorite WUDFN DQG Ć HOG event is the 4 x 100-meter relay.

Abhilash plays violin in his school’s chamber orchestra and has performed in his county’s orchestra.

#103 SOPHIA LOPEZ

#104 ABHILASH PATEL

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Cedarville Middle School SNSB Michigan DQG 2KLR 5HJLRQDO %HH 6SULQJĆ HOG 2KLR

8th grade

Monroe-Woodbury Middle School Orange-Ulster BOCES (Goshen, New York)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Arnav loves Greek mythology and won’t spare the chance to enlighten you about it.

Tarini’s favorite pastime is spending time with her dog, Simba.

#105 TARINI NANDAKUMAR

#106 ARNAV PARAT

11 years old

9 years old

6th grade

Walsh Middle School (Austin, Texas)

Sweet Success ATX

4th grade

Woodlands Elementary School College (Amarillo, Texas)

Amarillo

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Nam loves participating in tennis, soccer, chess and swimming.

Aanya is a Ć UVW GHJUHH black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

#107 NAM SON NGUYEN

#108 AANYA PAVAN SHETTY

7 years old

11 years old

2nd grade

Jolley Elementary School University of South Dakota (Vermillion, South Dakota)

Autographs

30

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6th grade

John Warner Middle School Columbia Missourian (Columbia, Missouri)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Rayeann was called to lector at her church at age 8 and is still the youngest lector at her church.

.Dè0DXUL SOD\V the clarinet LQ KLV PLGGOH school band.

#109 RAYEANN SHARMA

#110 KA’MAURI T. BEST

11 years old

12 years old

6th grade

D\Ć HOG 0LGGOH 6FKRRO 616% 0LFKLJDQ DQG 0 2KLR 5HJLRQDO %HH 0D\Ć HOG +HLJKWV 2KLR

7th grade

6DOOLH % +RZDUG 6FKRRO :LOVRQ 1RUWK &DUROLQD

7KH :LOVRQ 7LPHV

FUN FACT Logan’s crosscountry coach DZDUGHG KLP the “Energizer Bunny” VXSHUODWLYH because he just NHHSV JRLQJ and going.

FUN FACT Tyler is a selftaught coder.

#111 TYLER A. NUTTALL 14 years old

8th grade

1RUWKĆ HOG &RPPXQLW\ 0LGGOH 6FKRRO 6RXWK -HUVH\ 6SHOOLQJ %HH )ROVRP 1HZ -HUVH\

#112 LOGAN AMERICUS EDWARDS 11 years old

6th grade

5RVHEXG 6FKRROKRXVH &DUROLQD 3DQWKHUV &KDUORWWH 1RUWK &DUROLQD

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Harini performed Indian Classical Music at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles when she was 6.

#113 HARINI MURALI 10 years old

Addison was the 2021 400-meter tri-county conference track champion.

#114 ADDISON ARABELLA CHAMPION

5th grade

Woodbrook Elementary School Press Communications (Neptune, New Jersey)

14 years old

8th grade

Crest Middle School North Carolina)

The Shelby Star (Shelby,

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Cyrus plays three instruments and is learning to play a fourth.

#115 CYRUS CHI DIK LAW 12 years old

7th grade

The Alternative School for Math & Science Corning Rotary Club (Corning, New York)

Autographs

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Gustavo is a diver with a love for biology and science.

#116 GUSTAVO IGNACIO BRIGNONI 14 years old

8th grade

Colegio Marista Eureka Enrichment & Learning Center, Inc. (San Juan, Puerto Rico)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Pranav represented the United States in World Robot Olympiad for the 20212022 season.

David likes to travel, and his favorite destination is the Dominican Republic.

#117 DAVID FYFFE

#118 PRANAV ANANDH

12 years old

13 years old

7th grade

Fieldstone Middle School North Rockland Central School District (Garnerville, New York)

7th grade

Garnet Valley Middle School Delaware County Intermediate Unit (Morton, Pennsylvania)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Lindsey is learning to play a few Green Day songs on her off-white Gibson Stratocaster guitar.

Luc likes to beatbox and is proud of his FilipinoAmerican heritage.

#119 ELLEN LINDSEY ROBERTS

#120 LUC TEJADA CALAGSING

14 years old

11 years old

8th grade

W. E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy Dallas Sports Commission (Dallas, Texas)

6th grade

Black Water Middle School Pee Dee Education Center (Florence, South Carolina)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Ellette enjoys writing and ZRQ Ć UVW SODFH in the 2021 (PSRZHU Montana MLK Youth Art & Essay Contest.

*DUULFN OLNHV WR ZDWFK GRFXPHQWDULHV about nature on TV.

#121 ELLETTE KAY WHITCOMB

#122 GARRICK WILLIAM TAM

13 years old

OHYHODQG 0LGGOH 6FKRRO The Albuquerque & -RXUQDO $OEXTXHUTXH 1HZ 0H[LFR

14 years old

8th grade

6XVVH[ 6FKRRO Montana Television Network (Bozeman, Montana)

8th grade

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Andrew, a SHUFXVVLRQLVW in the VFKRRO EDQG SOD\V VQDUH drum and RFFDVLRQDOO\ [\ORSKRQH

Paula, a FRPSHWLWLYH ,ULVK GDQFHU also takes EDOOHW O\ULFDO FRQWHPSRUDU\ MD]] DQG KLS KRS FODVVHV

#123 PAULA DAGLIERI

#124 ANDREW YEAGER

13 years old

14 years old

7th grade

,PPDFXODWH &RQFHSWLRQ &DWKROLF 5HJLRQDO 6FKRRO The Valley Breeze (Cumberland, Rhode Island)

Autographs

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8th grade

KLSSHZD -U 6U +LJK 6FKRRO & Journal (Akron, Ohio)

$NURQ %HDFRQ

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Eric has fenced for only 11 months, but he is currently in the top 30 for his age division in the nation.

Krishang describes himself as an eminent swimmer and basketball player.

#125 ERIC LAYSON GOROZA

#126 KRISHANG INDAANA

13 years old

10 years old

7th grade

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School The Public Education Foundation (Las Vegas, Nevada)

5th grade

Saddle River Day School Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs (Hackensack, New Jersey)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Ava loves trying new things and doing origami, which was once a new thing she tried.

Akhil has played the violin since the age of 6 and is currently part of three ensembles.

#127 AVA JOANN ANDERSON

#128 AKHIL S. GIDDALURI

11 years old

13 years old

6th grade

Nyssa Middle School 26 (Nyssa, Oregon)

Nyssa School District

8th grade

McCallie School Chattanooga Times Free Press (Chattanooga, Tennessee)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Jianna loves fashion and design and dreams of being able to sell clothes to the public.

Ananya likes to write poems and short stories.

#129 ANANYA RAO PRASSANNA

#130 JIANNA MARINA

11 years old

Clinton Township Middle School Diamond City Sports (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)

13 years old

5th grade

West Bay Elementary School Omaha Sports Commission (Omaha, Nebraska)

8th grade

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Tessa has many interests, but her favorite is to travel with her club soccer team.

Vale can recite over 200 digits of pi.

#131 VALE ESPOSITO

#132 TESSA ANN JONES

12 years old

14 years old

7th grade

Robert F. Wagner Middle School ScholarSkills for STARS (New Windsor, New York)

Autographs

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8th grade

Wylie West Junior High School of Abilene (Abilene, Texas)

Kiwanis Club

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

One of Ariel’s drawings was mentioned in the Delta Fair, an annual festival in Memphis.

Gabriel enjoys playing video games, but he loves programming them even more.

#133 ARIEL ALHOUWARI 11 years old

5th grade

White Station Elementary School University of Memphis (Memphis, Tennessee)

#134 GABRIEL LUTHER FANG 13 years old

7th grade

Hunter College High School ScholarSkills for STARS (New Windsor, New York)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Yash taught himself origami using YouTube and has gifted his creations to family and friends.

Alexis played ć XWH LQ DQ all-district band clinic and LV Ć UVW FKDLU in her school band.

#135 YASH TUSHAR SHELAR

#136 ALEXIS A. REEL

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Academy of the Sacred Heart Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri)

St. Louis Post-

8th grade

Central Davidson Middle School Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT While she doesn’t understand Arabic, Daanya can read, write and speak it out loud with ease.

FUN FACT Luna’s favorite trip was to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

#137 DAANYA Z. BUTT

#138 LUNA SARA GASEVIC

13 years old

12 years old

7th grade

Oneonta Middle School (Oneonta, New York)

The Daily Star

6th grade

Ben Frankin Middle School (Bismarck, North Dakota)

NDACS

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Parker is a bass singer in the choir and a member of the dance troupe in Cleveland’s Own Singing Angels.

-RH\ LV D Ć VK DĆ FLRQDGR who enjoys learning about all species of freshwater and VDOWZDWHU Ć VK

#139 PARKER JOSEPH PACIFICO

#140 JOSEPH STANLEY CONSTANTINE

14 years old

12 years old

8th grade

West Geauga Middle School ESC of the Western Reserve (Ashtabula, Ohio)

Autographs

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6th grade

Lakeview Middle School Inc. (Youngstown, Ohio)

WFMJ Television,

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Ananya received the Award of Merit in the state-level Pennsylvania PTA 5Hć HFWLRQV contest.

#141 ANANYA S. KANNAN 13 years old

8th grade

Central Dauphin Middle School WITF: Public Media for Central Pennsylvania (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Addy has an interest in dinosaurs and wishes they could come back to life.

#142 AADHAVAN VEERENDRA 12 years old

7th grade

Portsmouth Middle School New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, New Hampshire)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Mujtaba writes articles as a member of the award-winning Scholastic Kids Press.

Frank likes to draw comic sketches.

#143 FRANK DUMAS IV

#144 MUJTABA ALI RAJA

10 years old

14 years old

4th grade

Bethesda Elementary School 'XNH 2IĆ FH RI Durham & Community Affairs (Durham, North Carolina)

8th grade

Academy I Middle School Hudson County 2IĆ FH RI &XOWXUDO DQG +HULWDJH $IIDLUV -HUVH\ &LW\ 1HZ -HUVH\

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Julianne has danced in many dance recitals and performances, including the much-beloved “Nutcracker.”

Eyianna loves to play games on her PlayStation 4.

#145 JULIANNE ELIZABETH LILIESTEDT

#146 EYIANNA Z. DUNN

12 years old

Samuel Gompers School WHYY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

6th grade

Canton Country Day School (Canton, Ohio)

The Repository

12 years old

6th grade

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Mya has sung the national anthem at two different minor league baseball games with her choir.

#147 MYA LORINE MAIJALA 14 years old

8th grade

Doniphan Middle School Three Rivers College (Poplar Bluff, Missouri)

Autographs

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Kaitlyn has been an all-A VWXGHQW IRU Ć YH years.

#148 KAITLYN GRACE TOOLE 11 years old

5th grade

Byrd Elementary School Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Echo collects animal bones from the woods and would like to be a taxidermist.

Leila has won many awards for her art and running skills.

#149 ECHO FALLON BROCK

#150 LEILA SOPHIA HU

14 years old

12 years old

8th grade

Boiling Springs Middle School (Spartanburg, South Carolina)

USC Upstate

7th grade

Clarence Middle School Batavia Newspaper Corporation (Batavia, New York)

FUN FACT Vivinsha enjoys composing piano music, which has won her an Award of Excellence at the Texas PTA 5Hć HFWLRQV competition.

FUN FACT Tyler likes parkour and gaming.

#151 TYLER K. WAGNER 13 years old

7th grade

Red Jacket Middle School Times (Geneva, New York)

Finger Lakes

#152 VIVINSHA REDDY VEDURU 11 years old

6th grade

Bear Creek Intermediate School Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT Tallulah performed in the children’s chorus of Wilde Tales by Oscar Wilde, staged by Quintessence Theater Group.

FUN FACT Makayla can play several songs on the piano.

#153 MAKAYLA M. MCGUIRE 13 years old

7th grade

Savannah Middle School Mosaic Life Care Foundation (St. Joseph, Missouri)

#154 TALLULAH J. GREEN HULL 14 years old

8th grade

Henry H. Houston Elementary School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

WHYY

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Andrew’s favorite college is the University of Notre Dame.

Jane has been drawing since she could hold a crayon.

#155 JANE C. ROSS

#156 ANDREW JACOB SMITH

11 years old

14 years old

5th grade

Central Elementary School Pittsburgh PostGazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Autographs

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8th grade

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Republican Herald (Pottsville, School Pennsylvania)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Avinav won six gold medals at the 2021 AAU Junior Olympics for Tae Kwon Do.

Natalie got her love of spelling from reading so many books.

#157 AVINAV PREM ANAND

#158 NATALIE E. MOELLER

11 years old

14 years old

5th grade

Freedom Trail Elementary School Ohio University College of Business (Athens, Ohio)

8th grade

Parkway Middle School (Lima, Ohio)

The Lima News

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Chris enjoys writing scripts in his free time and dreams of someday writing a television series.

As of March 26, Jeremy has a 692day streak of learning French and Latin on Duolingo.

#159 JEREMY R. LANDAU

#160 CHRIS J. DOMINICK

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and WHYY (Philadelphia, Demonstration School Pennsylvania)

8th grade

Struthers Middle School Inc. (Youngstown, Ohio)

2022

WFMJ Television,

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Marium loves watching cricket and supporting her team, Pakistan, every time it has a game.

Dahlia taught herself to crochet this year, and she completed a candy canestriped blanket for her bed.

#161 MARIUM ZAHRA 14 years old

#162 DAHLIA G. CUNNINGHAM

8th grade

Young Women’s STEAM Research & EPISD Education Preparatory Academy Foundation (El Paso, Texas)

10 years old

5th grade

ACCESS Academy (Portland, Oregon)

Pamplin Media Group

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Jessica plays two instruments: violin and clarinet, and she enjoys playing the clarinet in her school band.

Shaylynn has played the ć XWH LQ KHU middle school band for three years.

#163 SHAYLYNN KAY DENNIS 13 years old

7th grade

Beaver Local Middle School Salem News, East Liverpool Review and The Morning Journal (Salem, Ohio)

Autographs

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#164 JESSICA ANNISA YUNIARTI WIDODO 12 years old

6th grade

Partnership Middle School The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, Mississippi)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Harini loves to make crafts like origami and painting.

Abigail loves playing video games and drawing.

#165 HARINI JAYAKUMAR

#166 ABIGAIL LOLLIS

9 years old

13 years old

4th grade

Langtree Charter Academy Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

7th grade

Highland Middle School Harnett County Schools (Lillington, North Carolina)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Jacob loves vacationing on Hilton Head Island where he enjoys crabbing and riding bikes.

Michael has been playing WKH ć XWH IRU four years.

#167 JACOB MANSELL THEAKER

#168 MICHAEL ROBERT KOLAGANI

13 years old

14 years old

7th grade

Martins Ferry Middle School Leader (Martins Ferry, Ohio)

The Times

8th grade

Pearson Ranch Middle School ATX (Austin, Texas)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Rex’s favorite word from Words of the Champions is “turophile,” meaning “a cheese fancier.”

Antonia was a Boy Scout in elementary school and enjoyed many camping excursions.

#169 REX DOVER

#170 ANTONIA D. ANTOV

13 years old

12 years old

7th grade

Belmont Middle School The Gaston Gazette (Gastonia, North Carolina)

7th grade

Pleasant Hill Middle School RaymorePeculiar School District (Peculiar, Missouri)

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Shivam is fond of musical instruments and plays the piano, violin and recorder, piano being his favorite.

Ella lived in Europe for eight years and has visited over 30 countries.

#171 SHIVAM SUSHEEL KOLWALKAR

#172 ELLA MAE PETTYJOHN

11 years old

Monte Cassino School (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

5th grade

Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School The Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina)

Autographs

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14 years old

8th grade 2 News Oklahoma

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Jonathan plays the French horn in his school band.

Priana plays two instruments: violin and clarinet.

#173 JONATHAN DANIEL KELLY

#174 PRIANA KHANT

13 years old

Pennridge Central Middle School Pennsylvania State Education Association and Council for the Advancement of Public Schools (Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania)

8th grade

Brighton Middle School (Nashville, Tennessee)

Tennessee Titans

13 years old

7th grade

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Brook’s annual fundraiser, Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive, raises money and collects school supplies.

Lainey loves spending time with animals, and hopes to operate a small home farm some day.

#175 LAINEY G. GARDNER

#176 BROOKLYN STEWART

13 years old

14 years old

7th grade

Crestview Middle School Ohio)

The Blade (Toledo,

8th grade

St. Elizabeth Elementary School Mid-Continent Public Library (Independence, Missouri)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Tara is cofounder of D QRQSURĆ W called The Giving Tree, which helps underprivileged kids.

Sahana has a WUXH ORYH IRU FDIIHLQDWHG drinks, HVSHFLDOO\ KRW coffees and chai.

#177 TARA RAKESH

#178 SAHANA SRIKANTH

13 years old

13 years old

WK JUDGH

Ballyshannon Middle School &LQFLQQDWL 2KLR

WCPO 9

WK JUDGH

Mason Middle School 2KLR

:&32 &LQFLQQDWL

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Parker plays defense for his ice KRFNH\ WHDP WKH (O\ULD 3DQWKHUV

Sophia likes WR GUDZ VSHFLĆ FDOO\ animals and humans.

#179 SOPHIA KYAWT TUN

#180 PARKER M. DODGE

13 years old

14 years old

WK JUDGH

3LQH )RUHVW 0LGGOH 6FKRRO 7KH )D\HWWHYLOOH 2EVHUYHU )D\HWWHYLOOH 1RUWK &DUROLQD

Autographs

48

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WK JUDGH

Sailorway Middle School (GXFDWLRQDO 6HUYLFH &HQWHU RI /RUDLQ &RXQW\ / D*UDQJH 2KLR

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Rachel enjoys watching movies and listening to music.

#181 RACHEL YANFEI XIANG 13 years old

8th grade

Cheyenne Middle School Oklahoma City Thunder (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Armaan enjoys writing poems and creating art.

#182 ARMAAN JYOSH SINGHVI 11 years old

5th grade

Harding Academy Tennessee Titans (Nashville, Tennessee)

FUN FACT Riya enjoys writing short stories and is working on a series involving three women who solve mysteries.

#183 RIYA L. ANUMAKONDA 11 years old

6th grade

The Burlington School Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

FUN FACT Max was born in Germany.

#184 MAXIMILIAN L. HERNANDEZ 11 years old

5th grade

Club Estates Elementary School KRIS Communications (Corpus Christi, Texas)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Nagi can VSHDN ć XHQWO\ in German DQG 5XVVLDQ and she can XQGHUVWDQG Kazakh.

#185 NAGI AITBAYEVA \HDUV ROG

#186 CHLOE TAYLOR LESHER

WK JUDGH

(G 6PLWK . 6FKRRO 6\UDFXVH 1HZ <RUN

KORH EHFDPH & DQ DXQW DW DJH DQG KDV WZR QHSKHZV DQG D niece.

7KH 3RVW 6WDQGDUG

\HDUV ROG

WK JUDGH

(GLVRQ 0LGGOH 6FKRRO 0DULHWWD 2KLR

7KH 0DULHWWD 7LPHV

Autographs FUN FACT FUN FACT

%HIRUH KLV UHJLRQDO FRPSHWLWLRQ $QGUHZ ZRQ Ć UVW SUL]H LQ D FRQWHVW IRU GULEEOLQJ D EDVNHWEDOO ZKLOH GRLQJ WKH OLPER

,VDDF HQMR\V SOD\LQJ Magic: The *DWKHULQJ ZLWK IULHQGV

#187 ISAAC IMBODEN \HDUV ROG

WK JUDGH

/LQGHQ $YHQXH 0LGGOH 6FKRRO $OEDQ\ 1HZ <RUN

Autographs

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7LPHV 8QLRQ

#188 ANDREW IAN JAMES MACDONALD \HDUV ROG

WK JUDGH

%LVKRS -RKQ .LQJ 0XVVLR -XQLRU +LJK 6FKRRO KH +HUDOG 6WDU 6 7 WHXEHQYLOOH 2KLR

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

%HQ OLNHV WR camp at U.S. 1DWLRQDO 3DUNV where you PLJKW Ć QG KLP reading and swimming (at separate times).

Kirsten won the National Spanish Spelling Bee at age 8 and was featured on “Little Big Shots.”

#189 KIRSTEN TIFFANY SANTOS

#190 BENJAMIN I. ROZEMA

11 years old

Rolla Middle School

6th grade

12 years old

6th grade A.C.E.S. (Rolla, Missouri)

International Leadership of Texas – Katy Middle Houston Public Media (Houston, Texas)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Kaiwen’s extracurricular activities include playing the piano and violin, swimming, Ć JXUH VNDWLQJ tai chi and Tae Kwon Do.

#191 KAI WEN SOON 13 years old

8th grade

Plaza Middle School 3DUN +LOO 0LVVRXUL

3DUN +LOO 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW

Rishi mastered abacus when he was four years old and is currently a red belt in Tae Kwon Do.

#192 RISHIDHARAN JAYAKUMAR 13 years old

7th grade

The Brawley School Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Katherine has been involved in FIRST Robotics programs since 2nd grade and is now enjoying FIRST Tech Challenge.

Micah reads an hour every night before he goes to sleep, and his favorites are The Hardy Boys books.

#193 MICAH R. STERLING

#194 KATHERINE CONNOLLY

9 years old

14 years old

4th grade

General Brown Junior-Senior High School Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, New York)

8th grade

Charles F. Patton Middle School Chester County Intermediate Unit (Downingtown, Pennsylvania)

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Kaitlyn loves to draw, and decorating school projects with art is one of her favorite ways to impress people.

#195 KAITLYN BROOKE LEE 14 years old

8th grade

Southside Christian School Johnston County 3XEOLF 6FKRROV 6PLWKĆ HOG 1RUWK &DUROLQD

Autographs

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Miriam loves to play Dungeons & Dragons and particularly loves the role of Dungeon Master.

#196 MIRIAM ELIZABETH CAMPFIELD 14 years old

8th grade

Sacred Heart Cathedral School Titans (Knoxville, Tennessee)

Tennessee

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Nitya gardens in the spring and summer, and each year she harvests vegetables that last until next year’s season.

Ishika is a trained Indian classical dancer and Hindustani vocal artist.

#197 NITYA KATHIRAVAN

#198 ISHIKA VARIPILLI

13 years old

11 years old

8th grade

Rutgers Preparatory School Somerset County Library System (Bridgewater, New Jersey)

6th grade

Creekside Park Junior High School Public Media (Houston, Texas)

FUN FACT

Houston

FUN FACT

Dhagash has been to two Wonders of the World: the Taj Mahal in India and Chichén Itzá in Mexico.

6DĆ LV D member of National Honor Society, and he loves to play soccer and tennis.

#199 DHAGASH DESAI

#200 SAFIULLAH SAJID

11 years old

13 years old

5th grade

Washington School Sidelines and Stages (Maplewood, New Jersey)

7th grade

Locust Valley Middle School ScholarSkills for STARS (New Windsor, New York)

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Charlotte has studied ancient Greek since she was 4 because she was interested in Greek mythology.

Manvitha would love to travel to Hawaii to see its beautiful beaches.

#201 MANVITHA ADAGOOR SANJAYA

#202 CHARLOTTE H. WALSH

13 years old

Compass Homeschool Enrichment Fairfax &RXQW\ &RXQFLO 37$ 0HUULĆ HOG 9LUJLQLD

7th grade

John Adams Middle School Charleston Gazette-Mail (Charleston, West Virginia)

13 years old

7th grade

Autographs

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Aroosh is good at calligraphy and henna design.

Shreeya enjoys playing piano in her free time.

#203 AROOSH KALEEM

#204 SHREEYA SIVAKUMAR

14 years old

11 years old

8th grade

Iqra Academy of Utah Lake City, Utah)

The City Journals (Salt

Autographs

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5th grade

Carver Center Midland Reporter-Telegram (Midland, Texas)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Vihaan has been playing tennis since he was 7, and started playing the cello as a 6th grader.

#205 VIHAAN RAI SIBAL 13 years old

7th grade

Midway Middle School LLC (Waco, Texas)

Rapoport Holdings,

Saharsh is an avid reader who likes mystery and thriller books.

#206 SAHARSH KESAV VUPPALA 13 years old

8th grade

Annie Wright Schools Wyoming Systems Group of Businesses (Seattle, Washington)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Prince has taught himself how to organize his family’s online bank account.

Maya Jean wants to attend Stanford and be a pediatrician.

#207 PRINCE KAVANT A.J. PARKER BROWN

#208 MAYA JEAN JADHAV

13 years old

Vishva Home School (Madison, Wisconsin)

7th grade

Atkins Middle School Ramar Communications (Lubbock, Texas)

13 years old

8th grade Wisconsin State

2022

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

7UH\ LV WKH Ć UVW person from the Northern Neck to win the Richmond TimesDispatch Spelling Bee.

Harsha loves planes and aviation in general.

#209 HARSHAVARDHAN DINESH

#210 WILLARD CLAY FELTON III

13 years old

13 years old

7th grade

Eagle Ridge Middle School Loudoun County Public Schools (Leesburg, Virginia)

8th grade

Northumberland Middle School Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia)

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Jie is Student Council President and a member of the National Elementary Honor Society.

Hudson loves to play sports and do pretty much anything that is active.

#211 HUDSON HIMMERICH

#212 JIE LABORIANTE

14 years old

11 years old

8th grade

Cokeville Junior High School Sweetwater County BOCES (Rock Springs, Wyoming)

Autographs

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5th grade

Reynaldo G. Garza Elementary School Rio Grande Valley AIM Media Texas (McAllen, Texas)

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Nathaniel has competed in spelling bees for seven years, and this summer he will travel to the Philippines.

Elise straddled the borders between France, Switzerland and Italy this past summer.

#213 NATHANIEL SANTIAGO RIMOCAL

#214 ELISE MARIE COURNOYER

13 years old

13 years old

7th grade

Lamar Bruni Vergara Middle School Morning Times (Laredo, Texas)

Laredo

7th grade

Camels Hump Middle School (Rutland, Vermont)

VTDigger

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Leanna made necklaces and bracelets when she was younger, which she would sell at craft shows.

Bryan has played the violin for four years.

#215 LEANNA PERALTA GONZALES

#216 BRYAN DUONG MILSTEAD

13 years old

12 years old

8th grade

Freedom Middle School The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

7th grade

Skyline Middle School Rockingham District Ruritans (Harrisonburg, Virginia)

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT Bryce successfully made an origami round diamond from a square sheet of paper without cutting or gluing.

FUN FACT Shadya is an author.

#217 SHADYA IMAN COUREUR

#218 BRYCE T. NGUYEN

13 years old

Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School The Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram (Clarksburg, West Virginia)

14 years old

8th grade

Free Will Baptist Christian School The Virgin Islands Daily News (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)

8th grade

Autographs FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Gavin loves playing music and has learned to play the keyboard, saxophone and trumpet.

Maria Del Carmen speaks two languages and has taught herself to draw.

#219 MARIA DEL CARMEN ANDREA SANCHEZ

#220 GAVIN LEE MAXEY

13 years old

Dan River Middle School Big Brothers and Big Sisters (Danville, Virginia)

7th grade

St. Andrew’s International School The Ministry of Education (Nassau, The Bahamas)

Autographs

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13 years old

8th grade

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Roy is the only speller to win his district and The Bahamas National Spelling Bee for four consecutive years.

Deetya is learning an Indian style of dance called “kuchipudi.”

#221 DEETYA SAI VUPPALA

#222 ROY SELIGMAN

13 years old

13 years old

8th grade

Seabury Middle School Wyoming Systems Group of Businesses (Seattle, Washington)

8th grade

Lyford Cay International School The Ministry of Education (Nassau, The Bahamas)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Surya has gone to Tae Kwon Do classes for many years and received his black belt at the age of 9.

#223 SURYA KAPU 13 years old

#224 GRAHAM RYAN WOODRUFF

7th grade

American Preparatory Academy Journals (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Graham memorized all of the state capitals when he was 2 years old.

The City

13 years old

7th grade

Forest Middle School (Roanoke, Virginia)

The Roanoke Times

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Akash was featured in WKH 1HWć L[ documentary “Spelling the Dream.”

Grant plays keeper on his school’s soccer team.

#225 GRANT Z. WARD

#226 AKASH VUKOTI

14 years old

13 years old

8th grade

Graham Middle School (Tazewell, Virginia)

Four Seasons YMCA

7th grade

Concho Valley Homeschoolers San Angelo $UHD 6SHOOLQJ %HH 6DQ $QJHOR 7H[DV

Autographs FUN FACT Peyton attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and wants to be a rocket scientist.

FUN FACT Cole is an avid fan of Mario Kart.

#227 PEYTON GRACE DEMICHELE

#228 COLE HOLLIS MOORE

12 years old

Cuero Junior High School 9LFWRULD 7H[DV

7th grade

Ronald Reagan Middle School InsideNoVa/ Prince William (Manassas, Virginia)

Autographs

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14 years old

8th grade Victoria Advocate

SPELLER GUIDE

Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT +HQU\èV Ć UVW home was once President James Monroe’s house at the University of Virginia.

FUN FACT Jocelyne is a pescatarian.

#229 JOCELYNE J. FRANCOM 13 years old

8th grade

Monticello High School Southeast Education Service Center (Price, Utah)

#230 HENRY GEDDES MATHEWES 13 years old

8th grade

Joseph T. Henley Middle School The Daily Progress and News Virginian (Charlottesville, Virginia)

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Harini enjoys speech and was a chosen delegate at the Montessori Model United Nations in New York.

Sirjana has three younger siblings and loves to spend time with them.

#231 HARINI LOGAN

#232 SIRJANA KAUR

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

The Montessori School of San Antonio The Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre Association (San Antonio, Texas)

8th grade

Redmond Middle School (Seattle, Washington)

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SPELLER GUIDE Meet the Spellers

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

Shijay plays the clarinet in his school’s honor band and placed 1st chair in the AllRegion Band.

Pahrto has danced for 10 years and has won six awards for dancing.

#233 SKEYLA PAHRTO ASADI

#234 SHIJAY SIVAKUMAR

14 years old

14 years old

8th grade

Great Neck Middle School Media (Norfolk, Virginia)

Autographs

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WHRO Public

8th grade

Bowie Middle School Ector County Independent School District (Odessa, Texas)

SPELLER GUIDE Crossword Puzzle

Bee a champion

A NS W ER S ON P G . 57 OF M AG A ZINE

–CHANDI DEITMER ACROSS 1. Cry one’s eyes out 5. Whale with the colors of an Oreo 9. “In the same boat” 14. n. a dwarf planet with a mean distance from the sun of 67 astronomical units and a diameter of 1,500 miles 15. adj. related to the city or people of Naples, Italy 17. Palestinian strip along the Mediterranean 18. n. the AmerLFDQ Ć OP LQGXV try : Hollywood 19. Members of the family who fetch and roll over 21. ___ time (when you might play crokinole, backgammon, or jai alai, maybe) 22. Forbid 23. Apply for RIĆ FH 24. Fat-free 28. adj. emphasizing style often at the expense of thought 33. What you might write on a Post-It note 34. Kaiju featured in Godzilla movies 35. The number of squares in a Sudoku 36. Some music records, for short 37. Stocking 39. “I mean,

whatevs” 40. Sickest 43. n. the pleas of having been elsewhere at the time an act was committed 46. n. the manner or expression of a person 47. MDs who help with births (abbreviation) 50. Rough, like bouclé fabric 51. Mrs. ___ (Chip’s mother in “Beauty and the Beast”) 53. The world’s most populous metro area 55. Chowed down 56. Folk singer DiFranco 57. Not in style 59. “Firework” singer Perry 61. Eye makeup pencils 63. n. a curve that lies in a single plane generated by a point moving ... like a basketball, or the path you need to follow WR Ć QG WKLV puzzle’s hidden answer!

66. n. D ć DW roof on top of a house or another building 67. Someone gifted ... like the person hidden in this puzzle!

68. Taste or smell, for example 69. Made a hole in the garden for planting 70. TV host Banks

DOW N 1. Plead 2. n. an Algonquian people ranging over the plains region from southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba to New Mexico and Texas 3. adj. withered 4. Test taken by both Obamas 5. Like The Weeknd, this year 6. adj. having to do with the authority or rule of a monarch 7. What you drink sodas from 8. Classes taken for college credit, in brief 9. Basketball great Iverson 10. n. a television series in which the same cast of characters

are involved in different funny circumstances 11. “From ___ Z” (the whole range) 12. Word that appropriately rhymes with “jaw” 13. Spot for a roadside rest 16. “___ the ramparts we watch, were so gallantly streaming ...”

20. n. ones who do menial, routine, or boring work : drudges 22. “It’s cold in here!”

25. adj. festive, joyous 26. adj. having columns at entrances on two opposite sides 27. “Diá de ___ Muertos” 29. n. a special ability to do something well 30. 102, in

Ancient Rome 31. Journalist Curry, or Leslie’s BFF on “Parks & Rec” 32. n. a gift of money or personal property acquired especially through a written will 38. Old Pontiac model, or the RIĆ FLDO DEEUHYLD tion of the anime “Great Teacher Onizuka” 39. Handball player Hundvin, one half of the Ć UVW SDLU RI spouses to play each other in the Olympics 40. Antelopes found across the savanna (not okapi, and not wildebeests either!)

41. v. to treat as a celebrity or as an object of interest

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42. Share as a secret 44. Observe 45. “I told you!”

48. Boy band whose name translates from Korean to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” 49. Brand of steel wool that really helps you clean 52. Binge at the mall 54. “Matrix” actor Reeves 58. “Busy __ bee” 60. Share a boundary with 62. Visitors from a UFO, for short (think, “Phone home!”)

64. Cloth that might be used to wipe down the scullery 65. State home to the Rosa Parks Museum, for short

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2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee

Bee a Champion

Autographs

DID YOU KNOW THERE’S MORE TO BEE WEEK THAN THE COMPETITION? |Ľv - Ѵb=;Ѵom] l;lou ķ -m m=ou]; -0Ѵ; ; r;ub;m1; =ou _b]_Ŋ-1_b; bm] v| 7;m|v |o Ѵ;-um -m7 1;Ѵ;0u-|; |o];|_;u b|_Ĺ • Tours of Washington, D.C. • ;Ѵ;0u-ঞomv Ѵbh; |_; -u7v -mt ;| |o _omou o u m-ঞom-Ѵ 1olr;ঞ|ouv • "o1b-Ѵ -1ঞ bঞ;v =ou vr;ѴѴ;uv • u;v;m|-ঞomv 0 7bvঞm] bv_;7 vr;-h;uv • ;7b- orrou| mbঞ;v Beginning in 2023, you can help provide the spelling bee experience to students in unsponsored areas across the country. The _-lrbomv ѴѴb-m1; bv -m orrou| mb| =ou ou]-mb -ঞomv -m7 bm7b b7 -Ѵv |o -b7 |_; "1ubrrv -ঞom-Ѵ "r;ѴѴbm] ;;Ľv ;@ou|v |o 0ubm] |_; ;; |o ; ;m lou; 7;v;u bm] v| 7;m|vĺ

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GET INVOLVED TODAY! Reach out to the Bee at contact@spellingbee.com and let us know you want to join the Champions Alliance.

THE BUZZ Fun Facts

TAKE NOTE Here’s a look at some of the competitors in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Returning Finalists )RXU Ć QDOLVWV ZRQ WKHLU UHJLRQDO FRPSHWLWLRQV WR DGYDQFH WR WKH QDWLRQDO TXDOLI\LQJ URXQGV 'KURRY %KDUDWLD VSHOOHU WLHG IRU IRXUWK 9LYLQVKD 9HGXUX VSHOOHU WLHG IRU IRXUWK 9LKDDQ 6LEDO VSHOOHU WLHG IRU VHYHQWK DQG 5R\ 6HOLJPDQ VSHOOHU WLHG IRU IRXUWK

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THE BUZZ

Fun Facts

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W M R I A the

National Imagination

POP CULTURE.

BY KELLY LEON

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P H OTO G R A P H S B Y T K

The Scripps National Spelling Bee and its winners have always been a part of

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T K

N From top left, clockwise: “Akeelah and the Bee” was a 2006 movie about an 11-year-old spelling phenom. Nihar Janga and Jairam Hathwar, 2016 co-champions, appeared on national television with Kelly Ripa and Common. “Spelling the Dream” is a documentary that followed four Indian American competitors preparing for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Sandra Owen and Dana Bennett, 1957 co-champions, appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Ansun Sujoe and Sriram Hathwar, 2014 co-champions, appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with Kimmel and his sidekick Guillermo.

PHOTOGR APHS PROVIDED BY THE SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE

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T

jubilation or heartbreak as the series of letters is shared make the Bee irresistible. From movies to television to cartoons to social media, Bee champions and the Bee as an event have infiltrated American pop culture and captivated our attention.

INSTANT TV STARS

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cripps began its sponsorship of the Bee in 1941, but the National Spelling Bee dates all the way back to 1925.

That’s longer than the Academy Awards, the televised SURGXFWLRQ RI WKH )RXUWK RI -XO\ Ć UHZRUNV RQ WKH 1DWLRQDO 0DOO and the Super Bowl.

2QH RI WKH ELJJHVW LQć XHQFHUV RQ PLG WK FHQWXU\ $PHULFDQ pop culture was “The Ed Sullivan Show.” It debuted in 1948 on CBS as “Toast of the Town.” In 1952, an appearance on “Toast of the Town” became part of the prize package for the winner of the Bee, along with $500 cash, a loving cup and a plaque for the winner’s school. “The Ed Sullivan Show” was a Sunday night ritual for American families. The program introduced many other “talented kids” to the American TV audience, including The Beatles in 1964, The Muppets in 1966 and The Jackson 5 in 1969. Right there, on the same stage as those enduring icons of pop culture, were the young winners of the Bee. When “The Ed Sullivan Show” ended in 1971, the Bee winners were invited to appear on other national entertainment programs.

“The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson regularly welcomed Bee winners. Clips from

Above, Former President Barack Obama sent his congratulations to 2021 champion Zaila Avant-garde via Twitter.

Left, the Broadway cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

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P H OTO G R A P H ( L E F T ) P R O V I D E D B Y J O A N M A R C U S

he radiant image of 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde twirling as colorful confetti rains down after winning the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee was everywhere. She lit up social media and became an instant media darling, receiving well wishes from athletes, actors and former President Barack Obama. ,W ZDVQèW MXVW KHU PDVWHU\ RI ZRUGV RU KHU GLVWLQFWLRQ DV WKH Ć UVW Black American to win the Bee that made our oxytocin levels rise.

The simple and genuine joy that Zaila displayed was infectious and heartwarming. Like so many of her predecessors, the 2021 Bee champion left an indelible mark on a culture that reveres winning.

“Most contests are about physical sporting events, but the old Greek saying of a ‘sound mind in a sound body’ is extremely important to people who appreciate intelligence. They love to celebrate it,” says Dr. Paul Levinson, an author and professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University. “That’s why I think the Bee has had such an important place in American popular culture.”

Americans love to celebrate success. We turn winners into icons and internet memes. We’re curious about every facet of a winning team or individual. How they train, what they wear, what they eat.

7KH DFWLYLWLHV DQG SURGXFWV WKDW GHĆ QH RXU SRSXODU FXOWXUH DUH RIWHQ GHĆ QHG E\ REVHVVLRQ ZLWK DQG DGRUDWLRQ RI ZLQQHUV Dr. Montana Miller is an associate professor in the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University. BGSU is the only institution in the nation to have a department of popular culture, according to the school’s website.

Miller calls the Scripps National Spelling Bee “an interesting FRPELQDWLRQ RI VNLOO DQG OXFN ,WèV SUHWW\ UDUH WR Ć QG DQ HOLWH OHYHO competition that combines those two things that cannot be separated. There’s the whole hard work and preparation aspect, but when it comes right down to it, whichever word comes up for you, that’s what will determine your fate.”

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P H OTO G R A P H ( B E LO W ) P R O V I D E D B Y “ D A N C I N G W I T H T H E S TA R S : J U N I O R S ” P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T K

the 1980s, now posted on YouTube, feature Johnny challenging winners to spell-offs. In more recent years, winners have regularly appeared on morning news and late-night programs including “Live with Kelly and Ryan” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” In 2019, when there were an unprecedented eight co-champions, all eight joined Kimmel for an 8-against-1 spell-off, featuring Kimmel sidekick Guillermo 5RGULJXH] GUHVVHG DV D EHH LQ KLV UROH DV WKH RIĆ FLDO SURQRXQFHU Given the intellectual nature of the Bee, these shows often use self-deprecating jokes and highlight the perceived “nerdiness” of winners to demonstrate that they are clearly in awe of the Scripps National Spelling Bee champions.

“When you see a 12-year-old kid accomplishing some intellectual task that even an adult might have problems doing, it’s very exciting,” says Levinson. “It’s a triumph for the entire human species.”

In 2014, “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver praised not only the intellectual triumph but the stellar sportsmanship of cochampions Ansun Sujoe and Sriram Hathwar. Their face-off ended LQ D WLH PDNLQJ WKHP WKH Ć UVW FR FKDPSLRQV VLQFH Oliver said, “It was truly heartwarming to see two children celebrating in a cloud of confetti.”

He went on to show a clip of Sujoe and Hathwar on a national news program. Sujoe tells the news anchor, “It feels pretty good because not only do I get the victory, but I get to share it with someone else, so it means a lot to me.” The news

Right, “Spellbound” is a documentary that followed eight competitors at the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Below, Akash Vukoti, who in 2016 competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee at age 6, was on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” in 2018. He competed with professional partner Kamri Peterson and was the seventh of 12 dancers eliminated.

anchor, seemingly unmoved by the kindred connection between the two young winners, declares, “Between the two of you, you’re JRLQJ WR KDYH WR Ć JXUH RXW ZKRèV EHWWHU ë 7KH WK DQG WK JUDGHUV meet the question with dead silence. Finally, Hathwar replies, “Well, , WKLQN ZHèUH ERWK SUHWW\ VDWLVĆ HG ZLWK RXU SHUIRUPDQFHV \HVWHUGD\ so I don’t think that’s quite necessary.”

Important lessons and reminders from the mouths of teens.

“Just about every contest there’s only one winner and everyone else is a loser, but that’s not real life,” says Levinson. “You can have more than one person who is equally superb in something.”

YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES

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here are many real-life written accounts and video clips of Bee participants setting an example of kindness, poise and grace in victory and defeat. The examples they’ve set on the Bee stage as well as the obstacles many overcome getting WR WKH %HH KDYH EHHQ UHSUHVHQWHG LQ Ć OP DQG WHOHYLVLRQ SURJUDPV ERWK UHDO DQG Ć FWLRQDO /HYLQVRQ VD\V WKH Ć OP ê$NHHODK DQG WKH %HHë LV KLV IDYRULWH example of the Bee’s representation in popular culture. It’s the story of an 11-yearold spelling phenom who earns a chance to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. “African American people have long been celebrated in sporting events, going back to Jesse Owens in the 1930s, but this movie was really important and a pleasure to see because the protagonist is an African American girl. We see how she struggled to get there and how her family supported her.”

7KH Ć FWLRQDO DFFRXQW RI $NHHODKèV WULS WR the Bee was pre-dated by a documentary called “Spellbound,” which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary )HDWXUH LQ 7KH Ć OP IROORZV HLJKW \RXQJ people who participated in the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Miller, the pop culture professor from BGSU, says that she has used excerpts from “Spellbound” in her course titled “Youth and Pop Culture” when she’s talked about sports subcultures and pressure. $ PXOWLWXGH RI Ć FWLRQDO Ć OPV KDYH XVHG VSHOOLQJ EHHV WR PDNH XV laugh or for cultural inspiration. In 1969, Charles Schulz’s beloved &KDUOLH %URZQ FKDUDFWHU VWDUUHG LQ KLV Ć UVW IXOO OHQJWK DQLPDWHG Ć OP ê$ %R\ 1DPHG &KDUOLH %URZQ ë ZKLFK LQFOXGHG D VSHOOLQJ EHH Charlie must spell one more word to be declared the spelling bee champ. And the word is “beagle,” the breed of his beloved dog, Snoopy. Sadly, Charlie Brown chokes, much to the shock and disappointment of his friends watching on TV and Snoopy, who LV LQ WKH DXGLHQFH *RRG JULHI 7KH Ć OP ZDV D ER[ RIĆ FH VXFFHVV “The Girl Who Spelled Freedom” is a 1986 Disney movie about a Cambodian girl who overcomes language barriers to become a VSHOOLQJ EHH FRQWHQGHU 7KH OHDG FKDUDFWHU LQ ê'HĆ QLWLRQ 3OHDVHë LV a former “Scribbs” spelling bee champ struggling with adulthood.

“Bee Season” follows an 11-year-old girl who helps her family Ć QG PHDQLQJ DQG SXUSRVH ZKHQ VKH ZLQV D VSHOOLQJ EHH $QG WKHQ there’s “Bad Words,” a dark comedy starring Jason Bateman, about D PDQ ZKR Ć QGV D ORRSKROH WKDW DOORZV KLP WR HQWHU D VSHOOLQJ EHH

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at the age of 40. Despite an R rating, it ends with a heartwarming and inspiring message.

A FUNNY SIDE TO IT ALL

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Above, Indian American comedian Hari Kondabolu appeared as himself in “Spelling the Dream.” Left, Nupur Lala, the 1999 champion, holds the trophy.

She was featured in “Spellbound.”

In his bit, Kondabolu addresses a real tweet about the Bee that read: “Dear ESPN, spelling is not a sport.” To which Kondabolu replies: “These young people are athletes, too, and the muscle is their brain.” He went on to celebrate Mahankali: “This kid deserves to be treated like the American hero he is.

Let me spell this out for you, audience. All I’m asking for is R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Language of origin: Aretha Franklin.”

In “Spelling the Dream,” Kondabolu talked about the bit. “Why can’t we celebrate the fact that this kid did something, and he did it in such a cool way? He reached the mountaintop of that particular sport. So, yeah, I wanted to celebrate, and I’m glad I got to do that in a very ridiculous way.”

‘SPELLING WILL NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE’

B

oth Miller and Levinson expressed concern about meanspirited comments, especially on social media, and the impact they can have on young people. Despite that

P H OTO G R A P H ( TO P ) P R O V I D E D B Y H A R I KO N D A B O LU

everal comedy and cartoon “adults only” series have also tapped into the popularity of the Bee and incorporated it into their storylines.

“Saturday Night Live” cast members frequently parody the Bee, including 1997’s “St. Monica’s Spelling Bee” sketch. It features Molly Shannon as Mary Katherine Gallagher and then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the host and word pronouncer. Mary Katherine wins the Bee after successfully spelling the word “syzygy.”

She moves into her famous splits, arms held high in a V, and declares “Spelling Bee!” Other comedy parodies include an episode of “South Park” in 1999, “Family Guy” in 2011, and a 2003 episode of “The Simpsons” in which Lisa easily wins the school spelling bee to earn a trip to the “Spellympics.”

In 2005, the musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” opened on Broadway. It went on to win two Tony $ZDUGV %DVHG LQ D Ć FWLRQDO PLGGOH VFKRRO WKH VKRZ LQYLWHV IRXU actual audience members to compete in the bee. A Disney film adaptation of the play is reportedly in the works.

“Clearly the Bee’s place in popular culture is celebrating the LQWHOOHFW VSHFLĆ FDOO\ WKH LQWHOOHFW RI FKLOGUHQ ë VD\V /HYLQVRQ ê7KDWèV why it’s so appealing and so popular.” He also points out the positive impact of Bee champions transitioning from TV guests to “internet celebrities” in today’s culture.

“Where I was really inspired was seeing a OLVW RI WKH NLGV ZKR ZHUH Ć QDOLVWV LQ DQG seeing (at) that point that it was a majority of Indian spellers,” Nupur Lala, the 1999 Bee champion, says in the documentary “Spelling the Dream,” which was released in 2020. Lala became the third Indian American speller to win the Bee. She, along with other Indian American Bee winners and participants, is featured in “Spelling the Dream,” which explores the success of Indian Americans at the Bee and the possible reasons for it.

Since Lala’s victory in 1999, 26 Bee winners, including seven of the eight cochampions in 2019, have been spellers of South Asian descent. In “Spelling the Dream,” Lala recalls watching the Bee. “As an Indian student this felt like an arena in which I could compete and be successful.”

For the Indian American community, participating in and winning the Bee has been elevated to a point of cultural pride.

A classic demonstration comes from Indian American comedian Hari Kondabolu, who is also featured in “Spelling the Dream” and calls the Bee the “Indian Super Bowl.” In 2013, when Arvind Mahankali became the sixth consecutive speller of South Asian descent to win the Bee, Kondabolu celebrated Mahankali’s DFKLHYHPHQW ZLWK D VWDQG XS URXWLQH Ć OOHG ZLWK VZDJJHU DQG SULGH which aired on “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.”

Left, actress Keke Palmer, star of “Akeelah and the Bee,” and NBA superstar LeBron James both tweeted their congratulations to 2021 champion Zaila Avant-garde. aspect of social media, Levinson says, he’s optimistic of the power of social media to connect and bring people together.

0DQ\ LFRQV IURP Ć HOGV LQFOXGLQJ VSRUWV literature, television and comedy follow the Bee and post on social media about it.

6KRQGD 5KLPHV WKH SUROLĆ F SURGXFHU DXWKRU and screenwriter, is a huge Bee fan and has even live-blogged the competition.

Author John Green is another mega-fan.

He invited 2014 co-champions Sujoe and Hathwar to the New York premiere of the Ć OP DGDSWDWLRQ RI KLV QRYHO ê7KH )DXOW LQ 2XU Stars,” a coming-of-age story about two teens with cancer. Sujoe was able to attend and played along as Green held up his phone and JLGGLO\ VQDSSHG êVSHOOĆ HVë ZLWK WKH FR FKDPS Basketball star LeBron James tweeted his congratulations to 2021 winner Avantgarde and called her out as “a queen” during the premiere of his movie “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” James also sent a pair of signed sneakers to 2015 co-champ Gokul Venkatachalam, a huge LeBron fan, who wore his hero’s No. 23 Cleveland Cavaliers jersey under his shirt while competing to the top spot in the Bee. And then, of course, there are the memes, those typically funny images or videos shared on the internet that have become part of our cultural expression of emotions. If you’ve been turned into a meme, you know you’ve made it. Pick up your phone and search spelling bee memes. Chances are you’ll Ć QG ZKDWHYHU HPRWLRQ \RX QHHG WR H[SUHVV GLVSOD\HG E\ D UHDO RU Ć FWLRQDO %HH SDUWLFLSDQW Levinson, who proudly shares that his wife Tina was a spelling bee champion at her public grade school in the 1960s, says that even in a time when modern technology has made spelling correctly easier than ever, “spelling will never go out of style.”

“Everyone has their own constellation of talents, and spelling is a very important part of our culture,” says Levinson. “The two bedrocks of education have always been English and math. English means knowing how to read and write, and therefore how to spell. That’s why the spelling bee is still here and still going strong. I think that’s great and a cause for celebration.”

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FLORIDA E IG H T H G EKANSH RADER RASTOG I HAS BIG DR WHEN IT EAMS C TO H I S S O M E S PORT OF C H O I C E.

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P H OTO G R A P H S B Y T K

CRAZY

FOR

CRICKET

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T K

BY SHANNON RUSSELL

Picture frames have been unintended casualties, their untethered placement an easy target for a careening cricket ball. A broken side table. A divot in the Rastogi family’s living room wall, the memento of a particularly ill-timed bat swing.

When you enjoy cricket as much as Ekansh Rastogi (speller 65) and his family—parents Anupam and Vinita, brother Akshat—no setting is off limits for playing the beloved sport. Not even the interior of their Heathrow, Florida, home.

“That is kind of the culture. Anything goes for cricket,” says Ekansh, 13, an eighth grader at Markham Woods Middle School. ê:H MXVW Ć QG D ZD\ WR Ć W DOO IRXU SOD\HUV ZLWKRXW UXQQLQJ VWUDLJKW into each other.”

There are many things to know about Ekansh, a speller extraordinaire who advanced to the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee and will reprise his role as a 2022 competitor. He advanced as runner-up in the Orlando Regional Spelling Bee, sponsored by Orlando City SC, on Feb. 5, finishing second behind Aaron Kuebler, a sixth grader from St. Luke’s Lutheran School in Seminole County, Florida.

While Ekansh loves spelling, there’s nothing he loves more than cricket, a sport that can be traced back to 16th century England.

Rahul Joshi, head coach at the Florida Panthers Youth Cricket Academy, says nearly 20 million American fans watch cricket on a regular basis, often through a dedicated channel for cricket. Joshi

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Ekansh Rastogi practices his drives – a type of cricket shot – with his Florida Panthers teammates. He is wearing his full cricket gear, complete with a helmet and pads.

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dad used to play, I used to play, so very early on (Akshat and Ekansh) started playing the sport,” Anupam says. “When we were in Katy when he was 6 or 7, Ekansh played in some tournaments, and he won a lot of awards. He has been bowling ever since.”

CHILD’S PLAY? NOT EXACTLY Ekansh Rastogi’s cricket résumé has become more robust with time by virtue of his participation in three USA Cricket-sanctioned tournaments. He’s the lead bowler, a right-hander, for the Florida Panthers Youth Cricket Academy and Orange County Stallions Cricket Club. He plays regularly when unfettered by schoolwork or commitments with First Tech Challenge Robotics or Science Olympiad.

Did he mention he mostly competes against adults?

“Basically, there’s not too many youth teams in this area so we practice with the youth group. And then to get match time, we go and play in the adult league for experience,” Ekansh says.

Joshi, Ekansh’s coach with the Panthers, says Ekansh was going to face kids his age in mid-April at the Major League Cricket Junior Tournament. In the meantime, he’s bolstering his skills against the third-level adult division of the Florida Cricket Conference called the Flagship. He’s even been called up solo to play with the adults on occasion because he’s “a talented kid at his age,” Joshi says.

“And his ability to move the ball and control it (is exceptional). It’s one thing to be able to throw something really fast and straight. But he’s got a skill where the way he grips the ball and the way he makes the lateral movement occur is very skilled. He works on that really hard at home and we see that in our sessions with the Academy,” Joshi says.

“His results are shown when he plays in the adult league as well.

He got one guy out where the guy didn’t know what happened, basically. He was almost mesmerized by how good the ball was for him. He tried to play at it, missed it and it hit his wickets.”

Ekansh manipulates his grip to create different outcomes, much like a baseball pitcher does for a curve ball or slider. He’s known as a pace bowler because his pitches are like fastballs—but with a hop. ê,Q FULFNHW LW LV WR \RXU EHQHĆW WR KDYH WKH EDOO ERXQFH RQFH before it gets to the batter because there is a deviation before the bounce and a deviation after the bounce. The batters have to compensate for those two deviations because they do use a larger bat than players use in baseball,” Joshi says. “What he does, it’s called swing, which has the lateral movement either towards the batsman or away from the batter.”

Ekansh has had some shining moments in adult matches, like the time he started really well and took three wickets. And then there was the time an opponent hit him for two sixes, which are six runs each, in short order.

That was less fun. But the batsman doled out helpful advice to Ekansh after the match, showing him some techniques and how to angle the ball so a batsman can’t make contact.

“I think that’s the last time I got hit for a six. A lot of people helped me with how to bowl, how to work on my skills,” Ekansh says.

“I’m getting better, especially the fact that I’m able to compete in the adult league. , WKLQN WKDW LQ DURXQG IRXU RU ĆYH PDWFKHV

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T H E FA M I LY O F E K A N S H R A S TO G I

estimates that 2 million players compete in the United States at various levels. The game is more established in places like India, Pakistan, Australia and the West Indies but Joshi says it’s “on an upward trajectory” in the United States.

Major League Cricket is set to debut in the U.S. in 2023 with six teams in major cities. The International Cricket Council, the governing body of cricket, announced last November that the U.S. ZLOO FR KRVW 7 :RUOG &XS PDWFKHV IRU WKH ĆUVW WLPH LQ ZLWK the West Indies.

“They’re looking at potentially getting 18 matches within the U.S., either in Lauderhill, Florida, where they have a stadium; San Francisco, where they’re building a stadium; or Dallas, where they’re UHWURĆWWLQJ D EDVHEDOO VWDGLXP 6R LW LV D JURZLQJ VSRUW ë -RVKL VD\V That news hasn’t exactly trickled down to all of Ekansh’s classmates, but quite a few know cricket exists even if they’re fuzzy on the rules. He tells them it’s a variation of baseball and highlights the differences.

6WDUW ZLWK D ćDW IDFHG ZRRGHQ EDW D EDOO DQG D SDLU RI ZLFNHWV comprised of two small pieces of wood, or bails, supported by three wooden stumps. The wickets are situated across from each other on a 22-yard pitch. Two teams of 11 players compete on a ground, RU ĆHOG LQ PDWFKHV ZLWK WKH LQWHQW WR RXWVFRUH HDFK RWKHU Batting is done in pairs by players situated across the pitch from each other by each wicket. The other team’s bowler (in baseball, pitcher) propels a peach-sized ball toward the player batting.

The goal for the offense is to score runs; the goal of the defense is to prevent runs by quickly dismissing batters. There are multiple ways to do the latter, whether it’s hitting the striking batter’s wicket and knocking off the bails, catching a hit ball before it touches the ground, hitting the batsman’s leg in front of the wicket, or hitting the wickets with the ball prior to a player crossing a marked area called the bowling crease to prevent a run from scoring.

Ekansh dreams someday of becoming a professional cricketer.

The idea percolated during the sport’s ubiquitous presence in his life, from early days in Katy, Texas, to the Rastogi family’s move to Florida for Anupam’s career in information technology.

“We belong to India and in India, cricket is a game that’s kind of a religion. Everybody follows that and it’s a very, very big game. My

Ekansh Rastogi, back row, fourth from left, with the Orange County Cricket Club in September 2021.

Ekansh’s brother, Akshat, is on his left.

,èYH WDNHQ DURXQG VHYHQ ZLFNHWV WKLV VHDVRQ 7KHUHèV GHĆQLWHO\ URRP for improvement but I can already see how I’m getting better and I’m actually able to compete with the adults better. It’s fun to watch.”

P H OTO G R A P H P R O V I D E D B Y R A H U L J O S H I

PASSION MEETS DEDICATION Make no mistake: Just because Ekansh Rastogi often competes in cricket matches against adults doesn’t mean he bears a great resemblance to one. That will come in time. For now, he loves reading, sports, cooking, hanging out with his friends, spending time with his family and just generally being a kid.

His favorite word is humuhumunukunukuapua’a, and that’s for one reason. It’s funny.

“The funny part is just the absurdity of it because it’s really big and all the syllables are repetitive. It’s a funny word just to confuse people when you talk to them,” Ekansh says, laughing. %XW ZKDW GRHV LW PHDQ" ,WèV D ĆVK D UHHI WULJJHUĆVK WR EH H[DFW WKH VWDWH ĆVK RI +DZDLL DQG VWLOO DQ XQZLHOG\ HQWHUWDLQLQJ ZRUG His curiosity, coupled with determination, fuels many facets of his life, including spelling. His competitive streak propels him in spelling bees and beyond, but he’s also fascinated with linguistic etymology. He prepares for bees by studying roots and patterns.

Often, a word’s origins resonate most.

“Spelling actually explains a lot of things that you wouldn’t realize otherwise. Like there’s a lot of weird historical things that are related to spelling. You can see the movement of people just based off of language,” Ekansh says.

“And then there’s a lot of other things, like you can see how cultures are related to each other. For example, Hindi words tend to overlap with Sanskrit and Persian words, which explains the relationships between those cultures. You can see similarities with history and culture, and it helps explain a lot of things that have happened (historically).”

Joshi describes Ekansh as a funny, cheerful teen who will come to championship matches, or mid-level adult league play, dressed in his full cricket uniform just to watch and support the team. In

that way, Ekansh’s passion for cricket mirrors other elements of his life, Joshi says.

“Ekansh obviously has to be dedicated, right, to be part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. That kind of dedication is equally shown for his cricket interests. If he’s not playing cricket, he’s talking FULFNHW RU ZDWFKLQJ FULFNHW RU WKLQNLQJ FULFNHW +HèV RQH RI WKH ĆUVW ones who’s at the ground when we do our Academy sessions and he’s one of the last ones to leave. He’s very dedicated,” Joshi says.

If he remains committed to his aspiration of becoming a professional cricketer, he—and anyone else traveling that path, especially from the U.S.—has a tricky road ahead. Cricket at the collegiate level typically is played as a club sport, which is something Ekansh’s brother Akshat does at the University of Florida.

Opportunities will arise with the debut of Major League Cricket, and USA Cricket started a minor league in 2021, but reaching the highest levels demands skill and success inherent to any professional sport.

7KH RGGV PD\ EH ORQJ EXW $QXSDP KDV FRQĆGHQFH LQ (NDQVK “I think he’s on the right track,” Anupam says. “He’s very passionate about it so he spends a lot of time, whatever time he FDQ ĆQG RQ FULFNHW ë

AN ENDURING COMMITMENT A swath of pitch covers a concrete slab in the Rastogis’ backyard like an area rug. Wickets act as sentries to stand-alone netting, the perfect set-up for cricket batting practice.

It’s where Ekansh works toward becoming the next Ben Stokes.

The English cricketer drew Ekansh’s attention in the 2019 Cricket World Cup and quickly became one of his idols. ê,WèV SUREDEO\ WKH ĆUVW &ULFNHW :RUOG &XS WKDW , ZDWFKHG ZLWK LQWHUHVW $QG LQ WKH ĆQDOV %HQ 6WRNHV SOD\HG DQ DPD]LQJ NQRFNæ which a knock is like an inning—he batted very well. So I remember watching on the TV and the match looked completely lost and he somehow managed to turn the match around and win it for England,” Ekansh says.

Joshi calls cricket a “commuter sport” because of the match destinations throughout central Florida. Not only are Ekansh’s parents up for the task of driving their teenager to competitions, but they take him to the Florida Panthers Youth Cricket Academy in Orlando on Saturdays—along with food for the players.

“Normally we show up, we play. But they actually bring food for us for in between innings. They’ll serve up vegetarian rolls that they make at home,” Joshi says.

The Rastogi family’s dedication doesn’t stop there. Ekansh’s brother Akshat often drives two hours from Gainesville on Sundays to play for the Stallions and see his family. The Rastogi parents were active on an app connecting the cricket community during the pandemic when there was no cricket at all.

Cricket is an important avenue in Ekansh’s life, and yet one of many in which he pours his efforts. Just last year, 12-year-old Ekansh wanted to become a Michelin-starred chef at a Mexican or Italian restaurant. At 13, he prefers Indian food and, if he pursues a culinary career, it will be “something with like food blogging or a food web site or a food YouTube channel because it allows for more creativity.” Those plans could, of course, change.

In the meantime, he’ll keep honing his cricket skills (and his spelling).

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Brooklyn Stewart

with

Backpacks 34

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P H OTO G R A P H S B Y T K

Spreads

Her mission to help The Salvation Army equip kids for learning started with 11 backpacks and has grown to help hundreds of students each year.

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T K

BY AMY BL AKELY

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B

rooklyn Stewart loves shopping for school supplies—and that love has blossomed into a project, now in its 10th year. Brooklyn collects backpacks stuffed with school supplies, which are distributed to kids in eight Salvation Army corps community centers in the Kansas City, Missouri, area.

Over the years, Brooklyn (speller 176) and her mom have worked together to assemble almost 1,400 stuffed backpacks for needy kids. They call the effort Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive.

And this year, for her eighth-grade project, Brooklyn has been raising money to start a college scholarship program for students who have been supported or impacted by Salvation Army programs LQ WKH SDVW +HU JRDO LV WR RIIHU D VFKRODUVKLS WKLV ĆUVW \HDU and then keep the program going so scholarships can be awarded annually and increase in size.

“I think it’s really important to help others. I would encourage other people to do something similar. We need more of that in the world,” says Brooklyn, 14, a student at St. Elizabeth Elementary School in Kansas City, who is participating in her first Scripps National Spelling Bee this year.

All about Brooklyn

Backpack Project begins

Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive began when Brooklyn was only 5 years old and heading off to kindergarten. It was her mom’s idea, but Brooklyn loved it from the start. ê:H ZDQWHG WR GR VRPHWKLQJ ĆQG D ZD\ WR JLYH EDFN ë $PDQGD Stewart says. “And we wanted to make sure we, as parents, could instill that same desire in her.”

They heard The Salvation Army was gathering school supplies for needy children and decided they would collect items to help.

They reached out to family and friends and asked them to donate school supplies or contribute cash so Brooklyn could do the shopping herself.

At the end of the summer, they went to the local Walmart, Target and other stores to make the purchases. Brooklyn loved pushing the shopping cart and pilling it high with notebooks, pencils and classroom necessities.

7KH\ HQGHG XS ZLWK HQRXJK VFKRRO VXSSOLHV WR ĆOO EDFNSDFNV which they took to the local Salvation Army.

6DOYDWLRQ $UP\ RIĆFLDOV ZHUH KDSSLO\ VXUSULVHGæDQG JUDWHIXO “We think Brooklyn is pretty awesome,” says Alexandra Kuebler, executive director of development at The Salvation Army Kansas and Western Missouri Division. “There are very few children, very IHZ \RXQJ DGXOWV ZKR SXW RWKHUV ĆUVW ë Brooklyn and her family knew they would make the school

P H OTO G R A P H S B Y T K

Brooklyn lives in midtown Kansas City with her blended families.

Her parents are Amanda Stewart and stepfather, Mark Haas, and her dad Travis Stewart and stepmother, Amy Faulkner. She has four stepsiblings. Mom works for Microsoft as a partner account manager for the United States and Canada. Dad is head of global service sales at Zoom.

Brooklyn’s favorite subject is history, and her schedule is packed with extracurricular activities: She enjoys acting and is involved with Kansas City Young Audiences and Theatre of the Imagination. She plays basketball and volleyball and runs track; and she’s a Girl Scout working on her Gold Award project and helping her mom lead a troop of younger Girl Scouts. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games, especially Minecraft.

Brooklyn participated in her school spelling bees in fourth, sixth

and seventh grades, and she made it to the regional bee once before, when she was in the sixth grade. Her mom helps her study for VSHOOLQJ EHHV E\ FUHDWLQJ ćDVK FDUGV ZLWK ZRUGV IURP WKH UHJLRQDO study list, “Words of the Champions.” When a word continues to give Brooklyn problems, her mom tapes the card up in the hallway where Brooklyn sees it multiple times a day.

Brooklyn won the Mid-Continent Public Library Spelling Bee in Independence, Missouri, on the word “in silico,” which refers to an experiment performed on computer or via computer simulation; it is a pseudo-Latin word for “in silicon,” which refers to the silicon in computer chips.

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P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T H E FA M I LY O F B R O O K LY N S T E W A R T

supply collection effort an annual event. ê%URRNO\Q KDG VR PXFK IXQ WKDW ĆUVW \HDU VKH KDV ZDQWHG WR GR it every single year since,” Amanda Stewart says.

The second year, Brooklyn was able to double the number of EDFNSDFNV VKH ĆOOHG WKH ĆUVW \HDU 7KH SURJUDP FRQWLQXHG WR JURZ Last year, Brooklyn’s team assembled more than 200 backpacks.

Their record is nearly 300. The pandemic curtailed donations a bit, but the project continued because, Brooklyn says, kids still needed school supplies to take classes online.

As the project grew, Brooklyn and her mom began using the crowdsourcing platform GoFundMe to raise money. This spring, Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive launched its website, which will replace GoFundMe, and they’re also in the process of making Brooklyn’s %DFNSDFN 'ULYH D QRQSURĆW RUJDQL]DWLRQ

Building the backpacks Each year, Brooklyn compiles a list of needed school supplies— notebooks, 1-inch binders, ruled paper, pencils, markers or crayons, folders, scissors, glue sticks, erasers, rulers and more. Since the pandemic hit, they’ve also included hand sanitizer and masks.

Brooklyn says it costs an average of $50 to buy a backpack and ĆOO LW ZLWK VXSSOLHV “If that sounds expensive, it’s because it is,” Brooklyn says.

“That’s why we do this. I just feel like everyone deserves an equal education and you need to help people who can’t help themselves.”

Brooklyn and her mom spread the word about what they need.

They tell classmates, friends and relatives. They post it on the Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive website and Facebook page.

During the summer, they hold a “Collection Party” at a friend’s FRIIHH VKRS LQ D KLJKO\ WUDIĆFNHG DUHD RI .DQVDV &LW\ “The Collection Party and assembly line days are my favorite,” Brooklyn says.

Brooklyn and some friends set up a “Lemon Aid” stand in front of the coffee shop so people can drop by with school supply donations.

They talk up the project to passersby and encourage them to donate money through the GoFundMe page or via Venmo.

Then, a few weeks before school starts—during tax-free shopping days, if possible—they head to the stores to shop.

“It’s usually not something we can do in one trip,” Amanda Stewart says. “It’s so much work, but it’s fun.”

Once they’ve checked out and paid, the family and store employees ferry all the merchandise to a small army of waiting vehicles.

“You should see our house during backpack season,” Brooklyn says.

The backpacks are stashed in one corner and all the school supplies are sorted and stacked on tables. Friends and family are invited to come over, and the packing operation begins.

“The assembly line is really fun,” Brooklyn says.

7KH ĆUVW IHZ \HDUV %URRNO\Q DQG KHU PRP ZRXOG ORDG WKH ĆOOHG backpacks into the family’s vehicle and transport them to The Salvation Army. As the number of backpacks grew, The Salvation Army offered to send one of their trucks to the family’s home to pick up the backpacks.

‘She creates inspiration’ In 2021, Brooklyn was honored with the Spirit of Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She was nominated by The Salvation Army.

“I got to go to the cool awards party at Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City where I gave a speech and cried,” Brooklyn says. She received a plaque with her name on it.

As part of the celebration, the Association of Fundraising Professionals made a video featuring Brooklyn, her mom, teachers IURP %URRNO\QèV VFKRRO DQG 6DOYDWLRQ $UP\ RIĆFLDOV In it, Brooklyn explains why she loves her backpack project: “Philanthropy is helping people who have trouble, or do not have the resources to help themselves, and just being a good person, really.”

Kuebler says Brooklyn isn’t just helping The Salvation Army help kids, she is serving as a role model for other young adults.

“It takes a special kid to make that decision they want to help others,” Kuebler says. “Most kids are worried about what video game they’ll get next or where their birthday party will be. But not Brooklyn.

“She is somebody who other kids now look to and say, ‘I want to do that, too.’ She creates inspiration.”

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T K

To support Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive, visit her website, https://brooklynsbackpackdrive.com, where you can purchase T-shirts or custom pencils and make donations.

Left, Brooklyn Stewart and her grandparents, Cheryl Tyrrell and Patrick Tyrrell, and a family friend, Amy Yapp, work on the assembly line, loading backpacks with school supplies, in 2018.

Center, Brooklyn in 2016 with the backpacks she collected in the fourth year of her project. Right, Brooklyn was honored as a 2021 Spirit of Philanthropy winner by the Greater Kansas City chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professions. She was nominated by the Salvation Army for Brooklyn’s Backpack Drive, which collects school supplies for needy kids. She is pictured with the other 2021 winners.

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BY KELLY LEON

AUTHOR, AUTHOR! P

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BEE KEEPER

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FKLOGUHQèV ĆFWLRQ LQFOXGLQJ ê&KDUOLH DQG WKH &KRFRODWH )DFWRU\ ë ê, KDYH D SDVVLRQ IRU UHDGLQJ VR RQH GD\ , GHFLGHG , ZDQW WR WU\ WKLV DV ZHOO VR , VWDUWHG ZULWLQJ P\ RZQ ERRNV DQG PDNLQJ XS WKH FKDUDFWHUV DQG SORWV IRU P\ ERRNV ë VD\V 6KDG\D ê,WèV YHU\ IXQ WR GR ë 6KDG\DèV ĆUVW ERRN LV FDOOHG ê7KH *LYHQ ë %HFDXVH LWèV KHU ĆUVW VKH DOVR VD\V LWèV KHU IDYRULWH ê,WèV DERXW WKLV JLUO QDPHG 6N\ODU ZKR MXVW PRYHG WR D QHZ FLW\ +HU JUDQGIDWKHU KDG VRPH VHFUHW SRZHUV DQG VKH PHHWV VRPH SHRSOH DW KHU QHZ VFKRRO DQG WKH\ DOO KDYH VHFUHW SRZHUV RI WKH HOHPHQWV ë $ ERRN OHIW E\ 6N\ODUèV JUDQGIDWKHU KHOSV KHU XQGHUVWDQG KHU UROH DV WKH OHDGHU RI WKH VXSHUKHUR JURXS 6KDG\D VKDUHG WKLV H[FHUSW IURP ê7KH *LYHQ ë ê'RQèW EH VLOO\ 0RP ,èP KXPDQ , FDQèW KDYH SRZHUV ð WKDWèV LPSRVVLEOH ULJKW"ë ê,èP DIUDLG QRW ,èOO OHW \RX UHDG WKH UHVW RI ZKDW LW VD\V LQ WKH ERRN ë :H DOO ORRNHG DW WKH ERRN DQG , VWDUWHG WR UHDG RXW ORXG ê<RX DUH WKH &KRVHQ 2QH 7KH RQO\ RQH ZKR FDQ RSHQ WKLV ERRN 7KH RQH ZKR LV WKH OHDGHU RI WKH *LYHQ <RX DUH WKH 6XQ RI WKH *URXS ë ê&KRVHQ 2QH" 7KH 6XQ RI WKH *URXS" , GRQèW JHW LW ë , VWDWHG

P H OTO G R A P H B Y C Y N T H I A G R A H A M , V I R G I N I S L A N D S D E PA R T M E N T O F E D U C AT I O N

With nine books under her belt, Shadya Coureur aims to use what she’s learned preparing for the Bee in her next title.

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Shadya Coureur’s Book Titles

T

S

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YOUR BEESWAX History

CHAMPIONS AND THEIR WINNING WORDS 1925

1930

1935

1941

gladiolus

albumen

intelligible

initials

Diana Reynard

Frank Neuhauser

Helen Jensen

Clara Mohler

Louisville CourierJournal Louisville, Kentucky

Des Moines Register & Tribune Des Moines, Iowa

Akron Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio

Louis Edward Sissman

Cleveland Press Cleveland, Ohio

Detroit News Detroit, Michigan

1951

1931

1936

1942

foulard

interning

sacrilegious

Ward Randall

Jean Trowbridge

Richard Earnhart

White Hall RegisterRepublican White Hall, Illinois

Des Moines Register & Tribune Des Moines, Iowa

El Paso HeraldPost El Paso, Texas

1937

1946

promiscuous

semaphore

Doris Ann Hall

Waneeta Beckley

John McKinney

Louisville CourierJournal Louisville, Kentucky

Des Moines Register & Tribune Des Moines, Iowa

Winston-Salem Journal Winston-Salem, North Carolina

1926 cerise Pauline Bell Louisville CourierJournal Louisville, Kentucky

foulard noun

a lightweight plainwoven or twilled silk usually printed with a small neat evenly spaced pattern.

1938 sanitarium Marian Richardson

1927

1932

abrogate

invulnerable

Louisville Times Louisville, Kentucky

Dean Lucas

Dorothy Greenwalk

1939

Akron Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio

Des Moines Register & Tribune Des Moines, Iowa

1928

1933

knack

torsion

Betty Robinson South Bend NewsTimes South Bend, Indiana

Alma Roach

1929

1934

luxuriance

brethren

Virginia Hogan

Sarah Wilson

The Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska

Portland Evening Press Portland, Maine

40

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Akron Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio

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canonical Elizabeth Ann Rice Worcester Telegram & Gazette Worcester, Massachusetts

1940 therapy Laurel Kuykendall The Knoxville News Sentinel Knoxville, Tennessee

1947 chlorophyll Mattie Lou Pollard Atlanta Journal Atlanta, Georgia

1948 psychiatry Jean Chappelear Akron Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio

AND

insouciant Irving Belz Memphis Press Scimitar Memphis, Tennessee

1952 vignette

1953 soubrette Elizabeth Hess Arizona Republic Phoenix, Arizona

1956 condominium Melody Sachko The Pittsburgh Press Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1957 schappe Sandra Owen Canton Repository Canton, Ohio

AND Dana Bennett Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado

1958 syllepsis Jolitta Schlehuber Topeka Daily Capital Topeka, Kansas

eudaemonic adjective producing happiness.

1954

1959

transept

catamaran

dulcimer

William Cashore

Joel Montgomery

Kim Calvin

Norristown Times Herald Norristown, Pennsylvania

Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado

1949 Canton Repository Canton, Ohio

1950 meticulosity Colquitt Dean Atlanta Journal Atlanta, Georgia

1955 crustaceology Sandra Sloss St. Louis GlobeDemocrat St. Louis, Missouri

1960 eudaemonic Henry Feldman The Knoxville News Sentinel Knoxville, Tennessee

YOUR BEESWAX

History

1961

1967

1973

smaragdine

Chihuahua

vouchsafe

John Capeheart

Jennifer Reinke

Barrie Trinkle

Tulsa Tribune Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Omaha World-Herald Omaha, Nebraska

Forth Worth Press Fort Worth, Texas

Julie Anne Junkin

1962

1968

esquamulose

abalone

Nettie Crawford

Robert L. Walters

El Paso HeraldPost El Paso, Texas

The Topeka Daily Capital Topeka, Kansas

St. Louis GlobeDemocrat St. Louis, Missouri

1963 equipage Glen Van Slyke III The Knoxville News Sentinel Knoxville, Tennessee

1964 sycophant William Kerek Akron Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio

1965 eczema Michael Kerpan, Jr. Tulsa Tribune Tulsa, Oklahoma

1966 ratoon Robert A. Wake Houston Chronicle Houston, Texas

Total Champions

hydrophyte

a stalk or shoot arising from the root or crown of a perennial plant.

Michael Day

106

1974

ratoon noun

AND

STATS

1969 interlocutory Susan Yoachum Dallas Morning News Dallas, Texas

1970

Birmingham PostHerald Birmingham, Alabama

1975 incisor Hugh Tosteson San Juan Star San Juan, Puerto Rico

1976 narcolepsy

1978 deification

shalloon

Peg McCarthy

Jonathan Knisely

The Topeka Daily Capital Topeka, Kansas

macerate Robin Kral Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Lubbock, Texas

13 year olds

14 year olds

Top 5 States

cambist The Pittsburgh Press Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1972

12 year olds

1977

Libby Childress

Philadelphia Bulletin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Boys

11 year olds

Syracuse Herald Journal-American Syracuse, New York

John Paola

1971

Girls

Tim Kneale

croissant Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel Winston-Salem, North Carolina

52 54 3 19 53 31

1979 maculature Katie Kerwin Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado

15 9 8

Texas Ohio

Pennsylvania

7

Tennessee & Colorado

6

California

Longest Word

scherenschnitte (2015)

Shortest Word

luge (1984)

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YOUR BEESWAX History

1980

1985

1989

1993

1997

elucubrate

milieu

spoliator

kamikaze

euonym

Jacques Bailly

Balu Natarajan

Scott Isaacs

Geoff Hooper

Rebecca Sealfon

Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado

Chicago Tribune Chicago, Illinois

Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado

The Commercial Appeal Memphis, Tennessee

Daily News New York, New York

elucubrate verb

to work out or express by studious effort.

1981

1986

sarcophagus

odontalgia

Paige Pipkin

Jon Pennington

El Paso HeraldPost El Paso, Texas

The Patriot News Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

1982

1987

psoriasis

staphylococci

Molly Dieveney

Stephanie Petit

Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado

The Pittsburgh Press Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1983 Purim Blake Giddens El Paso HeraldPost El Paso, Texas

1984 luge

1988 elegiacal Rageshree Ramachandran The Sacramento Bee Sacramento, California

Daniel Greenblatt Loudoun TimesMirror Leesburg, Virginia

1990

1994

Amy Marie Dimak

antediluvian Ned G. Andrews

Jody-Anne Maxwell

The Seattle Times Seattle, Washington

The Knoxville News Sentinel Knoxville, Tennessee

Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers Kingston, Jamaica

1991

1995

1999

antipyretic

xanthosis

logorrhea

Joanna Lagatta

Justin Tyler Carroll

Nupur Lala

The Wisconsin State Journal Madison, Wisconsin

The Commercial Appeal Memphis, Tennessee

The Tampa Tribune Tampa, Florida

appoggiatura noun

an accessory embellishing note or tone preceding an essential melodic note or tone and usually written as a note of smaller size.

1992

1996

lyceum

vivisepulture

Amanda Goad

Wendy Guey

The Richmond News Leader Richmond, Virginia

The Palm Beach Post West Palm Beach, Florida

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

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2000 demarche George Abraham Thampy St. Louis PostDispatch St. Louis, Missouri

2001 succedaneum Sean Conley Aitkin Independent Age Aitkin, Minnesota

1985-1986

1990-1997

Mary L. Mangold

Reta Rose

1940-1948

1958-1959

1985-1989

1996-2020

Dean George B. Wood, American University

Max B. Cook, Promotion Editor, Scripps-Howard Newspapers

Richard D. Peters, Scripps-Howard Newspapers

Mary CurtinBrooks

Paige P. Kimble

1949-1957

1960-1984

1987

James H. Wagner, Scripps-Howard Newspapers

Susan Miller

Dr. J. Michael Durnil

Douglas D. Cornette, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

BEE KEEPER

chiaroscurist

1925-1931

1939

42

1998

fibranne

2022

Charles Schneider, Scripps-Howard Newspapers

1988-1991 Sondra J. Austin

2021-present

YOUR BEESWAX

History

2002

2006

2010

2015

2018

prospicience

Ursprache

stromuhr

nunatak

koinonia

Pratyush Buddiga

Katharine Close Asbury Park Press/Home News Tribune Asbury Park, New Jersey

Gokul Venkatachalam

Karthik Nemmani

Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado

Anamika Veeramani The Plain Dealer Cleveland, Ohio

St. Louis PostDispatch St. Louis, Missouri

2011 cymotrichous

2003 pococurante Sai R. Gunturi The Dallas Morning News Dallas, Texas

2004 autochthonous David Scott Pilarski Tidmarsh South Bend Tribune South Bend, Indiana

2005 appoggiatura

2007 serrefine Evan M. O’Dorney Contra Costa Times Walnut Creek, California

2008 guerdon Sameer Mishra Journal and Courier Lafayette, Indiana

2009

Anurag Kashyap

Laodicean

San Diego UnionTribune San Diego, California

The Olathe News Olathe, Kansas

Kavya Shivashankar

stromuhr noun

a rheometer designed to measure the amount and speed of blood flow through an artery.

PRONOUNCERS

Sukanya Roy Times Leader Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

2012 guetapens Snigdha Nandipati

AND

odylic

Scoggins Middle School McKinney, Texas

Dallas Sports Commission Dallas, Texas

AND

2019

cernuous

scherenschnitte

erysipelas

Vanya Shivashankar The Olathe News Olathe, Kansas

Erin Howard Adventure Travel Birmingham, Alabama

AND

nunatak noun

Saketh Sundar

2013

2016

AND

Feldenkrais

auslaut

Daily News New York, New York

2014 stichomythia Sriram Hathwar Corning Rotary Club Corning, New York

AND

Rishik Gandhasri

Corning Rotary Club Corning, New York

Bay Area Regional Spelling Bee San Francisco, California

AND Nihar Janga Houston Public Media Houston, Texas

Abhijay Kodali Dallas Sports Commission Dallas, Texas

feuilleton

marocain

Ansun Sujoe

Ananya Vinay

Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas

The Fresno Bee Fresno, California

1941-1942; 1946-1947

1961-1980

2003-present

Dr. Richard R. Baker, Professor of Philosophy, University of Dayton

Dr. Jacques Bailly, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Vermont

1981-2002

2019-present

Dr. Alex J Cameron, Associate Professor of English, University of Dayton

Dr. Brian Sietsema, Clergyman, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

1937-1940

Dr. George S. Wills, Western Maryland College

Harold F. Harding, George Washington University

1929-1936

1938-1939

1948-1960

Dr. Charles E. Hill, George Washington University

George F. Hussey, Jr., Special Contributing Editor to Webster’s New International Dictionary

Benson S. Alleman, Department of Communication, American University

Rosa International Middle School Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Murraya Zaila Avant-garde New Orleans Chapter of The Links New Orleans, Louisiana

2017

1925-1927

Shruthika Padhy

2021

AND

palama

AND

Dr. W. Hayes Yeager, Professor of Public Speaking, George Washington University

Howard County Library Columbia, Maryland

aiguillette

Jairam Hathwar

gesellschaft

Discover Lehigh Valley Allentown, Pennsylvania

bougainvillea

a hill or mountain completely surrounded by glacial ice.

Arvind Mahankali

AND Christopher Serrao

U-T San Diego San Diego, California

knaidel

Rohan Raja

AND

pendeloque Sohum Sukhatankar Dallas Sports Commission Dallas, Texas

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YOUR BEESWAX 2021 Champion

OH, WHAT A YEAR!

ON THE GO From top left, clockwise: The Tuesday morning after winning the Bee in July 2021, Zaila Avant-garde appeared on “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” where she showed off her basketball dribbling skills on national television. She was honored by Sports Illustrated Kids as SportsKid of the Year in November 2021, walked the red carpet and attended ESPN’s ESPY Awards in July 2021, and won the Stan Musial Award for Extraordinary Character in November 2021.

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P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T H E S C R I P P S N AT I O N A L S P E L L I N G B E E A N D T H E FA M I LY O F Z A I L A AVA N T- G A R D E

Zaila Avant-garde, the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, had opportunities to go from coast to coast as she was honored, celebrated and featured by various organizations and news and entertainment outlets. Here is a sample:

YOUR BEESWAX

2021 Champion

SHE’S EVERYWHERE From top, clockwise: Zaila was on a panel at South by Southwest EDU in Austin, Texas, with Dr. J. Michael Durnil, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in March 2022. She visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in September 2021, appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in Los Angeles less than a week after winning the Bee, and was on the cover of Time magazine’s Best Photos of 2021 edition.

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YOUR BEESWAX Former Spellers

TAKE NOTE (ALUMNI EDITION)

Former bee participants have moved on to some pretty cool opportunities.

The Economist 1965 speller Ben Bernanke went on to become Board Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

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The Philanthropist FKDPSLRQ 'U %DOX 1DWDUDMDQ LQ DGGLWLRQ WR EHLQJ WKH FKLHI PHGLFDO RIĆ FHU RI 6HDVRQV +RVSLFH EHFDPH SUHVLGHQW RI WKH 1RUWK 6RXWK )RXQGDWLRQ LQ

The Puzzle King VSHOOHU 'DQ )H\HU LV DQ HLJKW WLPH $PHULFDQ &URVVZRUG 3X]]OH 7RXUQDPHQW FKDPSLRQ DQG LV PXVLFDO GLUHFWRU IRU WKH FXUUHQW QDWLRQDO WRXU RI ê+DPLOWRQ ë

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YOUR BEESWAX

Former Spellers

The Advocate 1992 champion Amanda Goad is a lawyer and director of the /*%74 *HQGHU DQG 5HSURGXFWLYH -XVWLFH 3URMHFW DW WKH $&/8 RI 6RXWKHUQ &DOLIRUQLD

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YOUR BEESWAX Where Are They Now

Henry Feldman teaches at Harvard, works at Boston Children’s Hospital – AMY BL AKELY oday, Henry Feldman is a senior biostatistician at Boston Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Sixty-two years ago, he was a different kind of expert: a 13-yearold spelling whiz.

Feldman, who now lives in Newton, Massachusetts, won the 1960 Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee on the word “eudaemonic,” which means producing happiness. Then a resident o f O a k R i d g e , Te n n e s s e e , h e represented The Knoxville News Sentinel in the national contest for three years, placing 13th in 1958 and

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&ORFNZLVH IURP OHIW +HQU\)HOGPDQ Ć IWK IURP left) with a group of spellers and families during a 1958 trip to FBI headquarters. After winning the 1960 Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee, Feldman meets fellow Tennessean Laurel Kuykendall, who won the 16th annual National Spelling Bee in 1940. Feldman, now 75, is a senior biostatistician at Boston Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

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20th in 1959 before winning in 1960.

Feldman’s prizes included $1,000 and trophies for himself and for his school. Among the highlights of his three trips to Washington, D.C.: going with other contestants to tour Andrews Air Force Base and visiting FBI headquarters, where they took photos with then-director J. Edgar Hoover. Feldman also met two of his local lawmakers, Rep. Howard Baker Sr. and Sen. Estes Kefauver.

“Sen. Kefauver asked me to spell ‘eleemosynary’ (which means relating to charity),” Feldman recalled. “I nailed it.”

After winning the Bee, Feldman was interviewed on the “Today” show by founding host Dave Garroway and appeared on the game show “I’ve Got a Secret.”

Lo o k i n g b a c k , Fe l d m a n s a i d competing in spelling bees taught him to “deal with luck and circumstances that you can’t control but be as prepared as you can.”

Feldman earned his bachelor’s degree at Swarthmore College and his doctorate at Harvard University.

An expert in biomedical mathematics and statistics, he’s worked at the National Institutes of Health, MIT Arteriosclerosis Center, Harvard School of Public Health and the New England Research Institutes.

His current work involves designing experiments and analyzing data for projects on topics ranging from diet and obesity to the blood of newborns to MRI imaging of babies’ brains.

At 75, Feldman has no plans to retire. He and his wife, Judy, have WKUHH VRQV DQG Ć YH JUDQGFKLOGUHQ A few years ago, Starbucks coffee shops sold spelling bee-themed merchandise to promote the movie “Akeelah and the Bee.” Feldman bought a coffee mug with the word “eudaemonic” on it.

When he spied a poster of winning words on the shop wall, he approached the Starbucks cashier and pointed to “eudaemonic.”

“I happen to know who spelled that word,” he told her. “It was me.”

She gave him the poster.

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y H E N R Y F E L D M A N

1960 CHAMPION

YOUR BEESWAX

Where Are They Now

1975 NATIONAL QUALIFIER Michael Adams leads national LGBTQ+ seniors organization – AMY BL AKELY ike many contestants, Michael Adams got to meet members of Congress when he visited Capitol Hill during the 48th annual Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee in 1975.

For Adams, that meeting turned out to be life changing.

Today, Adams is the CEO of SAGE, the country’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ seniors.

Adams, then of Lowell, Massachusetts, was 13 and in the eighth grade in 1975 when he represented the Lowell Sun in the Bee in Washington, D.C. He placed 72nd after tripping on the word “spurious” in the third round.

For Adams, a highlight of Bee Week was meeting Rep. Paul Tsongas, also a native of Lowell, Massachusetts. Tsongas, then only 34, had been elected to the House of Representatives in 1975. He would go on to serve in the Senate and run for president in 1992, losing the Democratic nomination to Bill Clinton.

“Paul spent time with me. He really left an impression on me,” Adams said.

As a kid, Adams said, he was an avid reader who loved geography, science fairs and stamp collecting. He knew he was gay, although he wouldn’t come out until college. ê, ZDV D UHDO PLVĆ W LQ KLJK VFKRRO DQG , ZDV WU\LQJ WR Ć JXUH RXW ZKDW WR GR ZLWK P\VHOI ë KH VDLG Adams began volunteering with Tsongas’ reelection campaign after getting home from the Bee. Two years later, he worked on Tsongas’ Senate campaign.

“Paul noticed me and took me under his wing,” Adams said.

Tsongas—who had attended Dartmouth, Yale and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government — encouraged Adams to apply to Harvard. As one of four children from a working-class family, Adams said he’d never considered going to an Ivy league school.

“Because of his support, I got into Harvard,” Adams said. “And going to Harvard changed my life.”

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y M I C H A E L A D A M S

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Michael Adams is now CEO of SAGE, the country’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ VHQLRUV +H VWLOO KDV WKH FHUWLĆ FDWH KH UH ceived for participating in the 1975 National Spelling Bee.

After graduating from Harvard, Adams earned a master’s degree in Latin American Studies and a law degree from Stanford University.

He became CEO at SAGE in 2006.

Before that, he was the first associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project.

Adams lives in New York City with his husband, Fred Davie.

“My mom still tells everybody I was in the National Spelling Bee,” Adams said. “Of the things I’ve done—I went to Harvard; I went to law school; I’ve had a good life and a lot of successes—the thing my mom is most proud of is that spelling bee.”

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BEE KEEPER

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YOUR BEESWAX Where Are They Now

1998 CHAMPION Jamaica native Jody-Anne Maxwell, XLI ǧ VWX &PEGO [MRRIV MW E PE[]IV MR Chicago – AMY BL AKELY n 1998, at age 12, Jody-Anne Maxwell gained instant fame as the first non$PHULFDQ DQG WKH Ć UVW %ODFN FKDPSLRQ of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. “I was just happy to be there, representing my country,” said Maxwell, now an attorney who lives in a Chicago suburb with her daughters, ages 12 and 4.

Maxwell’s bee journey began when the late Rev. Glen Archer, an internationally acclaimed spelling RUJDQL]HU LQ -DPDLFD FRQWDFWHG KHU VFKRRO WR Ć QG a student to prepare for competition.

As “head girl” of her class, Maxwell was chosen.

Her older sister had won Jamaica’s national bee in 1990.

“I had never thought about competing,” she said.

Archer taught Maxwell about word etymology and coached her to use American, rather than British, spellings and pronunciations.

Maxwell won the Jamaican bee and advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where she clinched victory on the word “chiaroscurist,” which is an artist who works in lights and darks.

“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I won.’ Before I could absorb that, everyone started bombarding me,” she said. “I remember having a headache and just wanting to sleep. I just felt exhausted.”

In Jamaica, the celebration continued.

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“When we came out of the airplane and I saw how many people were waiting, I realized it was a bigger deal than I thought,” she said.

In the following months, Jamaican communities across the U.S., the Bahamas and Canada invited Maxwell to visit. She was tapped to host a Jamaican TV quiz show for kids. She appeared in a few other TV shows and commercials, too.

“I was considered a celebrity in Jamaica. It was fun,” she said. But by age 18, she was ready to step back. “Fame came with a level of responsibility that I did not always want—always being recognized and noticed.”

Maxwell graduated from law school in Jamaica. She became a U.S. citizen in 2015 and graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2018. She now works on contracts for a national health care company.

In her free time, she enjoys bowling, watching movies, gardening and spending time with family.

Last year, when Zaila Avant-garde became the first Black American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, some feared 0D[ZHOOèV GLVWLQFWLRQ DV WKH Ć UVW %ODFN ZLQQHU ZDV EHLQJ RYHUORRNHG “I absolutely did not feel slighted,” she said. “In almost every news article, they found a way to slip my name into it. I felt bad about that; this was her moment.”

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y J O DY- A N N E M A X W E L L

From top: Jody-Anne Maxwell, carrying her National Spelling Bee trophy, arrives back in Jamaica to a large celebration. Today, Maxwell is an attorney. She works at a national health care company where she drafts, negotiates and reviews contracts.Maxwell is interviewed on stage after winning the 1998 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

YOUR BEESWAX

Where Are They Now

2012 CHAMPION Yale graduate Snigdha Nandipati publishes book on spirituality, health, culture – AMY BL AKELY nigdha Nandipati, winner of the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee, is a 2020 Yale graduate and will start medical school this summer. Currently working as a medical assistant at the San Francisco Free Clinic, she recently published her first book, “A Case of Culture,” which looks at how people from different cultures navigate the challenges of Western medicine with the help of cultural brokers.

“I’ve always been interested in the intersection of spirituality, health and culture,” Nandipati said. After doing podcast appearances and writing short articles on the subject, “I realized there weren’t very many books about this topic.”

Her book includes vignettes about real people, including her grandmother, who delayed treatment for a mental illness because she considered her symptoms “messages from the Mother Goddess.”

“To be visited by the Goddess is a blessing, and why would you seek treatment for a blessing?”

Nandipati’s parents came to the U.S. from India before she was born. She is fluent in Telugu, a language spoken in southeastern India.

She studied Spanish in high school and college and is learning Hindi.

After making it to the semifinals as a seventh grader in 2011, 14-yearold Nandipati bested 277 other spellers to win the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee on “guetapens,” a French-derived word that means “ambush or trap”. She represented the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“C o m p e t i n g i n s p e l l i n g bees taught me about being determined enough to see a task to completion,” she said.

She said that in the weeks

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y S N I G D H A N A N D I PAT I

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leading up to the competition she often studied six hours a day.

While she spent much of her first year at the Bee holed up studying, “the second year I made it a point to get out and do everything.” Among her fondest memories: a 2012 Memorial Day barbecue with the other spellers and meeting “Jeopardy” champion Ken Jennings, a guest at the 2011 Bee. Nandipati, who has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, will attend medical school at Virginia Tech Carilion.

In her free time, she collaborates via Zoom with friends across the country to produce mashups of Indian music and hip-hop or Top 40 hits. They share their music on social media.

Her music name, she said with a giggle, is “Sandispell” — short for San Diego Speller.

Bottom left: Snigdha Nandipati is working at the San Francisco Free Clinic as a medical assistant. Bottom right: She holds the trophy after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2012. At left: Her new book.

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YOUR BEESWAX

Meet the Executive Director

VISION FOR THE FUTURE Dr. J. Michael Durnil wants to create TEXL[E] JSV EPP XS &II ǧ REPW —REBECCA MCCARTER

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YOUR BEESWAX

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YOUR BEESWAX People to Know

MEET THE OFFICIALS

Dr. Brian Sietsema

Dr. Kevin Moch

Pronouncer

Associate Pronouncer

Associate Pronouncer

Head Judge

Peter Sokolowski

Barrie Trinkle

Kristin Hawkins

Sameer Mishra

Judge

Judge

Judge

George Thampy Judge

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Mary Brooks

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Ben Zimmer Judge

Judge

Frank Cahill

Record Keeper

P H OTO G R A P H S P R O V I D E D B Y T H E S C R I P P S N AT I O N A L S P E L L I N G B E E

Dr. Jacques Bailly

YOUR BEESWAX Puzzles

FOR BUSY BEES Keys to Success at the Bee Some people say the Spelling Bee is where luck meets preparation. This is a myth. Did ___________ (1) need luck when they invented the famous person ___________ (2)? Did ___________ (3) need luck at the Battle of ___________ (4)? Of course not! The Bee is actually where preparation meets machine name of city KLVWRULFDO Ć JXUH ___________ (5). Simply follow these rules and your performance will be spectacular. noun ending in -tion, e.g. “demolition” First rule: dress for success. To be a champion, you have to look like a champion. Wear a ___________ (6) on your ___________ (7), and decorate item of clothing body part \RXU RXWĆ W ZLWK ORWV RI ___________ (8) ___________ (9). Then everyone will know that you mean business. plural noun color Next: if you want peak function from your brain, you have to feed it properly. No more candy and no more junk food. Instead, eat nothing but ___________ (10) served with ___________ (11) sauce. And make sure you wash it all down with a gallon of ___________ (12). food different food liquid substance Finally, it’s time to prepare for your time at the microphone. You should know that the stage is very ___________ (13), and you may adjective even see ___________ (14) in the audience, but don’t let it rattle you. When Dr. Bailly gives you your word, it is considered polite to celebrity ___________ (15) and say “___________!” (16) before spelling the word. Then, swagger off the stage like a ___________ (17). You are ready for verb exclamation animal

A NS W ER S ON P G . 57

your moment – and, what’s more, the moment is ready for YOU.

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Bee Trails Help the Busy Bee visit all of the letters, winding your way through the puzzle and going through each letter only once. Move only side to side and up and down (no diagonals). At the end, you will have a single trail that goes through the puzzle.

6WDUW ZLWK *UHHN DQG Ć QG WKH IROORZLQJ ZRUGV $ORQJ WKH %XV\ %HHèV WUDLO \RX ZLOO Ć QG LQ QR SDUWLFXODU RUGHU ð Two parts of speech Three countries that send contestants to the Scripps National Spelling Bee KLQW RQH RI WKHVH LV WKH Ć UVW ZRUG WR Ć QG DIWHU *UHHN Four sweet treats from Words of the Champions (hint: two relate to ice cream, and two are mostly just heated-up sugar) Five languages that often show up in etymologies *UHHN LV WKH Ć UVW RI WKH Ć YH Zaila’s championship word from last year

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CONFETTI TK Rubrik The Last Word

HERE COMES THE JUDGE It’s Mary Brooks who rings the bell when a word is misspelled, and she handles her role as head judge with empathy and compassion.

Let’s get right to it: Where did the bell come from?

I obtained the bell when my mother-in-law, Nellie Johnson Brooks, died in 1998. My late husband and I found it in her curio cabinet in New Windsor, Illinois. My husband believed that it came from the front desk of some hotel.

is being well-rested, focused and present-inthe-moment.

How old is it?

)DYRULWH ERRN"

This is a mystery, as various dates are engraved on the bell. With a magnifying glass, I can make out four dates between 1863 and 1874. So I know that the bell dates back to at least the Civil War, but I wish I knew more of the story behind it.

How did it become part of the Bee?

I read at least one book a week, and each is my favorite.

I am currently president of the Board of Trustees of the West Des Moines Public Library. I have also written a children’s book, “Bampa’s Bag.” It was published in 2014. Before COVID-19, I frequently visited schools and children’s events to read it aloud and distribute copies to all.

I brought it with me in 2005 when I became head judge and would be in charge of ringing the bell.

)DYRULWH ZRUG"

Where do you keep it year-round?

Accoutrements! I love both its pronunciation and its meaning. And it has a variant spelling: accouterments.

+RZ GLG \RX ĆUVW JHW LQYROYHG ZLWK WKH %HH" My uncle, James H. Wagner, was the editorial promotions director for Scripps-Howard Newspapers in New York. Because he knew that I was interested in getting a degree in teaching, a year after I graduated from Decorah (Iowa) High School in 1972, he asked if I would help with the Scripps National Spelling Bee for a week in Washington, D.C. I started on a staff of four and kept going back every year and moving up the ranks. When my uncle retired in 1985, I was asked to be co-director of the event, which was challenging for me since I was also teaching full-time. I began serving on the panel of judges in 1979, and I eventually moved into the position of head judge.

How do you prep for the Bee? It takes intense listening to judge the Bee, so my main preparation

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)DYRULWH %HH PRPHQWV" Too many to count. The most recent was the 2021 Bee—during the pandemic—when Zaila Avant-garde spelled “Murraya” to win. In that moment, it simply felt like the world stopped spinning out of control and was turned right-side up.

/HDVW IDYRULWH %HH PRPHQW" Whenever I have to ring the bell. The spellers tend to see their fate in my hand, even though it’s all really up to them. It genuinely hurts my heart when I place my hand on the bell and eliminate a speller from the competition.

How do you best help spellers?

I make eye contact with them every time they come to the microphone, I smile and I offer sincere words of emotion when they misspell.

P H OTO G R A P H S B Y M A R K B O W E N

The bell is kept in a safe in my home in West Des Moines, Iowa.

CONFETTI

Puzzle Answers

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Bee Trails puzzle on Pg. 55

Crossword puzzle on Pg. 63 of the Speller Guide special section

THANK YOU TO OUR REGIONAL SPONSORS! These regional sponsors organize spelling bees across the country |o m-l; 1_-lrbomv _o -7 -m1; |o |_; m-ঞom-Ѵ 1olr;ঞঞomĺ

Leader Level Sponsors

Partner Level Sponsors Dallas Sports Commission

;ou]b- vvo1b-ঞom of Educators

Houston Public Media

ScholarSkills for STARS

Sweet Success ATX

The City Journals

The Miami Herald

The Ministry o= 7 1-ঞom

WCPO 9

WFCU Credit Union

WFMJ Television, Inc.

Wyoming Systems Group of Businesses

(The Bahamas)

Regional Level Sponsors 2 News Oklahoma A.C.E.S. Adult Learners, Inc. Akron Beacon Journal Alabama Kiwanis Foundation Amarillo College Anchorage Daily News Anne Arundel County Public Schools Arizona Educational Foundation Ball State University - WIPB-TV Batavia Newspaper Corporation Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs Big Brothers and Big Sisters Boise State University Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education Boston Centers for Youth & Families Boulder Valley School District Cape Breton University Carroll/JoDaviess/Stephenson Regional Office of Education Charles County Public Schools Charleston Gazette-Mail Chattanooga Times Free Press Chester County Intermediate Unit Chicago Public Schools Collier County Public Schools Columbia Missourian ComEd, An Exelon Company Corning Rotary Club DeKalb Regional Office of Education 16 Delaware County Intermediate Unit

Delaware Spelling Bee Diamond City Sports Duke Office of Durham & Community Affairs Ector County Independent School District Educational Service Center of Lorain County Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Envision Credit Union EPISD Education Foundation ESC of the Western Reserve Eureka Enrichment & Learning Center, Inc. European PTA Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Fairfax County Council PTA Finger Lakes Times Four Seasons YMCA Frederick County Public Libraries Grundy/Kendall County Regional Office of Education Harnett County Schools Hawaii State Spelling Bee Howard County Library Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs Idaho Character Foundation Imperial County Office of Education Indiana University Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis InsideNoVa/Prince William Johnston County Public Schools Kane County Regional Office of Education

Kankakee Valley REMC Kansas Press Association Kent Intermediate School District KERO 23 ABC Kiwanis Club of Abilene Kiwanis Club of Lafayette KRIS Communications Lake County Regional Office of Education Lakes Country Service Cooperative Laredo Morning Times Lee County Spelling Bee Lewiston Tribune Los Angeles Spelling Bee Collaborative Loudoun County Public Schools Louisiana State University Shreveport Ludington Daily News Macomb Intermediate School District Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education Maryland Sports Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit Mid-Continent Public Library Midland Reporter-Telegram Montana Television Network Monterey County Office of Education Mosaic Life Care Foundation NDACS New Hampshire Union Leader New Orleans Chapter of The Links Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

North Rockland Central School District Nyssa School District 26 Oakland Schools Education Foundation Ohio University College of Business Oklahoma City Thunder Olathe Public Schools Omaha Sports Commission Orange-Ulster BOCES Orlando City Soccer Club Pacific Daily News Pamplin Media Group Park Hill School District Pee Dee Education Center Pennsylvania State Education Association and Council for the Advancement of Public Schools Pepper Construction and Wight & Company Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram Press Communications Ramar Communications Rapoport Holdings, LLC Raymore-Peculiar School District Regional Office of Education #47 Richmond Times-Dispatch Rio Grande Valley AIM Media Texas Rockingham District Ruritans SAGE Publishing Salem News, East Liverpool Review and The Morning Journal San Angelo Area Spelling Bee

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Sidelines and Stages Somerset County Library System Sourcewell South Central Service Cooperative South Jersey Spelling Bee Southeast Education Service Center Southeast Service Cooperative St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sweetwater County BOCES Texas Christian University The Albuquerque Journal The Blade The Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre Association The Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram The Commercial Dispatch The County Press The Daily Item The Daily Progress and News Virginian The Daily Star The Denver Post The Dispatch Argus The Fayetteville Observer The Free Lance-Star The Gaston Gazette The Herald Palladium The Herald-Star The Lima News The Marietta Times The Martha’s Vineyard Times The Meakem Group

The Office of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools The Orange County Register The Post and Courier The Post-Standard The Public Education Foundation The Repository The Republican Herald The Roanoke Times The San Diego Union-Tribune The Shelby Star The Times Leader The Valley Breeze The Virgin Islands Daily News The Washington Informer The Wilson Times Three Rivers College Times Union Town Hall Seattle Traverse City Record-Eagle University of Maryland Eastern Shore University of Memphis University of South Dakota USC Upstate Victoria Advocate Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register VTDigger Watertown Daily Times WHRO Public Media Wisconsin State Journal WITF: Public Media for Central Pennsylvania WJXT WXYZ Channel 7