The best spellers in the nation made a beeline to the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbor.
Megan Barrientos signed up for the spelling bee at Wicomico Middle School with no expectations.
Spelling competitively wasn’t something she had thought about often, but to her surprise, she started advancing. Her success in the Maryland school’s bee, and then the Eastern Shore regional contest, earned her a spot in the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbor.
That success continued Wednesday, as Barrientos took the stage during the quarterfinals. “Proode” was the word separating her from a spot in the semifinals. She asked for its origin and part of speech, and then spelled it correctly.
Barrientos, who’s in seventh grade, is one of a few of D.C.-area students who’ve advanced to the national bee’s semifinals round. To earn that spot, she had to overcome a common fear.
“(It’s) very nerve-wracking,” Barrientos said. “I have stage fright. It’s out of my comfort zone.”
To overcome that, she said, she swallows her fear before being called up to the stage. To practice, she flips through the dictionary, trying to memorize prefixes, suffixes and root words.
Spelling is challenging, Barrientos said, because “the pronunciations may be very different from the spellings.”
“I didn’t expect to advance into the semifinals,” Barrientos said. “Even if I don’t win, I’ll still treasure this experience in my life.” Sadly, it was not to “bee” and she finished in the semifinals.
Nargiza Muzhapaer, meanwhile, reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year. She’s an eighth grader at Chantilly Academy in Virginia.
“I love the feeling of being on stage,” Muzhapaer said. “It’s like so different, especially since I’ve watched the competition growing up. It’s such a great feeling to just actually be there.”
Muzhapaer first participated in a spelling bee in second grade, but “got serious about it” in sixth or seventh, she said. She studies language patterns and roots, and works with spelling software and flashcards.
Because Virginia is toward the end of the alphabet, Muzhapaer typically has to wait a long time to spell in the contest. She mutters prayers to herself and takes deep breathes to remain calm.
Her friends tease her, but her hobby is about more than just an adrenaline rush.
“Spelling, I love how it incorporates different cultures, and how you can learn how different parts of the world have influenced the English language,” Muzhapaer said.
The bee’s finals are scheduled for Thursday.
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