Menands eighth grade student Mohamed Elhadi will represent the district in the regional spelling bee in late March after out-spelling his peers during a recent school-level competition.
“I am really excited. It shows the hard work I did,” he said.
Students in grades four through eight competed Jan. 27 to see who would advance to the March 28 regional competition.
Elhadi won the competition by properly spelling “dictatorship.”
“I practiced a lot with my mom, Rasha, and worked a lot on the words I didn’t get right at first,” he said.
Runner-up was one of the youngest competitors, Pujitha Kasibhotla, who is a fourth grade student.
Karyn Seymour, Menands grades 6-8 English language arts teacher, said all of the students who took part in the school spelling bee are strong academically.
“These are exceptional students who represent the very best of their classes,” she said. “The event showcased the hard work, dedication and academic excellence of all participants.”
Asked what advice he has for future spelling bee competitors, Elhadi said, “Work hard and don’t procrastinate because you will stumble.”
“Also, you need to stay focused, so you don’t accidentally put a letter in a word that it doesn’t belong in,” he said.
Elhadi advances to the regional qualifier exam and if he places well in that, he will compete in the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee.
The Scripps Regional Spelling Bee is part of the national Scripps competition. Aired on national television each spring, the Scripps National Spelling Bee awards a $50,000 prize to the national champion.