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She's my hero
Another finalist new to the state bee was nine-year-old Dakota Duarte—the youngest speller to make the state finals this year.
Written by |
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She's my hero
Another finalist new to the state bee was nine-year-old Dakota Duarte—the youngest speller to make the state finals this year.
Written by |
Presenting sponsor - U.S. Airways
How much experience do you need to get to the state spelling bee? Evidently not much as two of the youngest spellers proved this year. So Young Chung is ten years old and in fifth grade at Terramar Elementary School in Peoria. She got into the bee by accident. She didn't think she was going to win the class bee, let alone school, district and regional to get to the state bee. But it seems the two to three hours of studying a day paid off. She not only made it to the state bee, but finished fourth, making her the youngest trophy winner on the stage. 
Dakota (from General Myer School in Fort Huachuca) didn't spend a lot of time worrying and studying, but had help from mom who printed out words from the book and made them into index cards for him. He spent the last three days studying hard. Will this be his last bee? Not according to Dakota. He is planning on coming back next year to win. His favorite word is ballot, and though he gets nervous, he just rides it through. 
If nerves are your problem, perhaps you could try the trick Kalli Francis, from El Dorado School in Scottsdale , has adopted. A troll in her left pocket brings her luck. Her parents think it's funny, but are worried that by the end of the bee the talisman would be hairless from all the rubbing. 
Nerves are not a concern for Anique Brito, an eighth grader at Buckeye Middle School . She doesn't really get nervous, because once she's learned a word she remembers it. She felt confident about the words and was looking forward to just having fun at the bee. During the bee, she never asked for definitions except for the word Psalm which she wasn't sure she understood correctly. She said that it messes with her mind if she stalls or hesitates after hearing the word. What word did she finally miss? The word penicillin . Still, she took it all in stride. Perhaps she didn't win the bee, but she won her family's approval. “She's my hero, and one of my best friends,” said her sister Asia Brito. Anique's dad gave her a hug, “I'm so proud of you.” He agreed that ninth place was nothing to be ashamed of. For Anique, that's definitely a win! 