Keertan Kini took a deep breath, walked up to the podium and spoke confidently into the microphone.
With each word that he spelled correctly, he knew he would be one step closer to his goal of competing at the national level.
By the end of the round, Keertan was one of three sixth-graders left standing, relieved to know that practicing spelling words like "babushka," "follicle" and "impeccable" had paid off.
"I've been studying for this for two to three weeks," said Keertan, a student at Kahler Middle School in Dyer, after showing his mother the trophy he was awarded. "This is my first spelling bee, so I'm very happy."
Kini was one of 26 students Saturday who gathered at Taft Middle School in Crown Point to compete for the chance to go to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
They were among more than 100 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at five locations in the region who spelled away their Saturday morning.
In addition to Taft, bees were at Washington Elementary School, East Chicago; Thornton Fractional North High School, Calumet City; Maywood Elementary School, Hammond; and Wheeler High School, Valparaiso.
After the last word was spelled incorrectly, 46 contestants progressed to the regional competition, which will be Saturday at Munster High School. Only one of them will represent the Calumet Region at the National Spelling Bee.
With each word that he spelled correctly, he knew he would be one step closer to his goal of competing at the national level.
By the end of the round, Keertan was one of three sixth-graders left standing, relieved to know that practicing spelling words like "babushka," "follicle" and "impeccable" had paid off.
"I've been studying for this for two to three weeks," said Keertan, a student at Kahler Middle School in Dyer, after showing his mother the trophy he was awarded. "This is my first spelling bee, so I'm very happy."
Kini was one of 26 students Saturday who gathered at Taft Middle School in Crown Point to compete for the chance to go to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
They were among more than 100 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at five locations in the region who spelled away their Saturday morning.
In addition to Taft, bees were at Washington Elementary School, East Chicago; Thornton Fractional North High School, Calumet City; Maywood Elementary School, Hammond; and Wheeler High School, Valparaiso.
After the last word was spelled incorrectly, 46 contestants progressed to the regional competition, which will be Saturday at Munster High School. Only one of them will represent the Calumet Region at the National Spelling Bee.
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