The preliminary round of the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee kicked off on Wednesday, and a local student from Escondido was among the 281 young participants that took center stage.
Giabao Tonthat, an 8th grader from Heritage Charter School, was speller No. 19 in Wednesday's round and had to spell the word “flabbergast.”
On stage, Tonthat asked the spelling bee announcer for the definition of the word, which means “overwhelmed with shock, surprise or wonder, as by extraordinary statements or unexpected news.”
He then asked the announcer to use the word in a sentence. After a moment, Tonthat spelled the word correctly, which was followed by loud clapping from the crowd.
Despite his best efforts, the 8th grader did not advance past Wednesday's round.
Tonthat had big shoes to fill, considering that San Diego produced last year’s winner, 14-year-old Snigdha Nandipati.
The Rancho Penasquitos teen, who attended Francis Parker Middle School, correctly spelled the word “guetapens,” meaning an ambush or trap, for the win. Her victory prize included $30,000 in cash, a trophy, a $2,500 savings bond, a $5,000 scholarship, and other perks.
Local
Nandipati was only the second local champion to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 1925.
This year, the Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held in Oxon Hill, MD. The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. PT (live on ESPN), followed by the finals at 5 p.m. PT (live on ESPN2).
A total of 281 spellers from the U.S. and other parts of the world are competing in the bee. Spellers range in age from 8 to 14 years old, but 89 percent are between the ages of 12 and 14.
There’s a twist to the competition this year, and simply spelling the words correctly won’t be enough to pull out the big win.
Bee organizers have incorporated a new vocabulary evaluation, which will count for 50 percent of a speller’s overall score and impact which spellers make it to the final round.
The vocabulary portion is computer-based and multiple-choice, and asks spellers to define words such as “heiress.” Other sample questions include: “What does it mean to appertain?” (to belong either as something appropriate or as an attribute) and “What does it mean to winnow?” (to take out undesired parts).
According to the bee’s official website, participating spellers' favorite words include “conquistador,” “flibbertigibbet,” and “humuhumunukunukuapua’a.”
Clearly, the participants are very, very S-M-A-R-T.
