In a display of linguistic prowess, Nina Bhatia, a 13-year-old eighth grader from Cocopah Middle School, wins the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Spelling Bee on January 19. With nerves of steel and a vocabulary to match, Bhatia secured her title as she flawlessly spelled “indemnity.”
Bhatia tackled a myriad of challenging words, from the esoteric “megaron” to the tongue-twisting “coccidiosis” and “innards.” Her secret? A meticulous study regimen honed through dedication and perseverance. “For the easier words, I usually just skimmed over them and made sure I practiced them,” Bhatia revealed. “But for the harder words, we had to kind of associate with the picture and also definitions. It took a really long time for the hard words,” she confessed.
Acknowledging the invaluable support of her mother, Bhatia remained steadfast in her approach, poised to conquer the upcoming Region II Spelling Bee at Coronado High School on February 9. Joining her will be SUSD’s top contenders: Gabriel Roxas, a fifth grader from Hohokam Elementary School; Dhruv Bansal, a sixth grader from Desert Canyon Middle School; Raquel Charlesworth, an eighth grader from Mountainside Middle School; Jak Boudi, a fifth grader from Hopi Elementary School, and Promise Elhassan, a fourth grader from Yavapai Elementary School. Their collective talents promise a thrilling competition, with participants from neighboring districts and charter schools vying for supremacy.
Beyond the regional stage lies the Arizona Spelling Bee, a battleground where champions from across the state will converge for a shot at glory. The stakes are high, with the ultimate prize being representation at the esteemed Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland. For Bhatia, an avid reader with a penchant for nonfiction, the journey is just beginning. Despite her admiration for J.K. Rowling’s magical world of Harry Potter, she proudly identifies with Gryffindor’s Hermione Granger, even though she jokingly admits, “I’m a Slytherin.”
In a remarkable prelude to Bhatia’s victory, SUSD conducted its second middle school Spanish Spelling Bee, where eighth graders swept the top three spots. Echo Canyon School’s Adrián Fernando Alvarado Padilla out-spelled 16 other students, winning with the word “embarazoso.” Cocopah Middle School’s Matias Lagos Pucllas finished in second place; Ingleside Middle School’s Angel Gomez finished third.
