Avishka Dudala knows how to spell about 30,000 words. It just came down to one — “resveratrol” — to secure the middle schooler’s advancement to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
As soon as the word was announced, she knew she had it in the bag. (Resveratrol, noun, is a natural antioxidant found in red grape skins, berries and peanuts.)
“R-E-S-V-E-R-A-T-R-O-L,” she spelled, confidently.
Avishka was among the three finalists crowned at the 68th annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee competition, held at WFAA Studios, on Saturday. Following a lineage of talented North Texas spellers, they advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will be held in the Washington, D.C., area in May.
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Avishka, an eighth grader at Lorene Rogers Middle School in Prosper ISD, and Krish Manjunath, an eighth grader at Coppell Middle School East in Coppell ISD, were deemed co-champions. The third finalist was Benjamin Pearson, a seventh grader at Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy in DeSoto ISD.
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“It all comes down to one day,” Avishka said. “I was just trying to stay calm and focus on the words, going one word at a time.”
Krish followed on Avishka’s heels with “socius.” That means “colleague” — and it also means he secured the shared title.
“[Spelling competitions] is mostly about showing how much you’ve prepared,” he said.
His regimen? He pored over the Merriam-Webster dictionary and studied etymologies and roots. If he didn’t have school, he would practice words for about eight to ten hours a day with breaks in between.
The two students emerged as champions from a field of 27 contestants, who represented 20 North and East Texas counties, according to a news release. The three students represent the best out of about 100,000 students across 840 schools who participated in the school-level competitions.
The Lone Star State has a rich track record of spectacular spellers, boasting 17 national champions. Last year, Faizan Zaki, a Plano ISD middle schooler, won the national competition, after correctly spelling éclaircissement (noun: a clearing up of something obscure). In the 2019 bee, three North Texas spellers were among the eight co-champions.
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The event was presented by the Dallas Sports Commission, a nonprofit that seeks to attract and retain sports and entertainment events in the city. Each finalist and a guardian will travel to the national competition for free.
“Their dedication to language, learning and literacy is inspiring, and we know our three champions will represent North and East Texas with excellence on the national stage,” said Monica Paul, the commission’s executive director, in a statement.
For Avishka, the Scripps National Spelling Bee will be a homecoming. She competed last year.
“I just love learning new words,” Avishka said. “When I started really going into it, I realized all these patterns and these roots.”
It will be Krish’s first time at the national competition. He looks forward to meeting people who share a passion for words.
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For aspiring spellers, he has a few words of wisdom.
“You should always be consistent,” he said. “If you’re only consistent one hour a day, it’s much better than starting 10 hours one day before.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.