by Leia L '28
Intense! I-N-T-E-N-S-E! Intense!
“I feel pretty good about the spelling bee. It was super fun and was a great chance for me to improve my spelling skills," said Aidan P., the 2021 Berkeley Preparatory School Spelling Bee Champion. Between November 31st and December 3rd, an extreme round of complicated spelling lasted. One by one, class champions, who were extraordinarily talented and very hard working, started to leave the stage in disappointment. As the people left the stage, many people began betting on who would win. The suspense rose as many of the middle schoolers on the stage were nervous as the words became more and more challenging. Numerous spellers were eliminated every round until it came to two students: Aidan P. and Emma C.! Many of the sixth graders betted on Adian. Most of the 8th graders betted on Emma, the 2020 champion. In a surprise upset, Aidan P. won the bee.
Interviews! I-N-T-E-R-V-I-E-W-S! Interviews!
Aidan P.
Q: How do you feel about winning the spelling bee?
A: I'm not sure how I beat eighth-graders being a sixth-grader and being new to Berkeley, but I feel pretty good about winning.
Q: What was the most difficult word you had to spell?
A: D’orsay was definitely the hardest. D’orsay is a type of shoe.
Q: How did your family react when you told them that you won?
A: My mom was very excited when she picked me up in the car. My dad's always pretty happy no matter what I do. My sister was kind of the same.
Q: On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the difficulty of the last word you had to spell?
A: I would say one because it was fracking.
Q: How many weeks did you take to prepare?
A: The difference between the class bee and the school bee was 1 week and I kind of studied that entire week, not that much though.
Q: Which of the questions you asked during the spelling bee did you find most useful?
A: I believe it was the definition question because to the words at the very end of the words that were on the list you could confirm your spelling with the definition. My second to the last word was ulcers, and I already knew how to spell that.
Emma C.
Q: How did you feel last year when you won the spelling bee?
E: I would say that winning last year made me happy because I felt like I worked really hard for it.
Q: What made you want to do it again this year?
E: I wanted to do it again this year because I kind of enjoy learning all of the complicated words and their meanings.
Q: One last question, which was the hardest word you had to spell this year?
E: The hardest word that I had to spell this year was probably mosey because I misspelled it; I probably won’t forget how it’s spelled any time soon!
Mrs. Ellinor
Q: Has a sixth-grader ever won the spelling bee before?
Mrs. E.: Yes, David D. in the year 2018. David also won again in 2019 as a seventh-grader.
Q: Which was the most difficult challenge for the spellers in your opinion?
Mrs. E.: I think the hardest thing for the contestants was when we switched to the Merriam Webster's dictionary words because those were words that they had not had a chance to study. When those words came up in the Bee, they had to rely on their spelling skills rather than their memories.
Q: How did you feel after Aidan won the spelling bee?
Mrs. E.: I was proud of him. I felt that it showed the 6th graders that anything is possible.
Pointers! P-O-I-N-T-E-R-S! Pointers!
Have you wondered how Aidan Patel could know all those words? It was not just studying, although that was a large part of it but also concentrating, keeping calm, and asking questions such as “May I have the definition please?” or “What is the alternate pronunciation?”These questions were the keys to success!
Additionally, he also made sure not to skip any letters and keep a cool and steady breath as he spelled his way to victory! Make sure next year to study hard and not be afraid to ask lots of questions!
Victory! V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Victory!
Aidan's name follows those before him on the plaque in the Middle Divison office. This shows it doesn’t matter if you are new or how young you are. You can always be a victor.
Encouragement! E-N-C-O-U-R-A-G-E-M-E-N-T! Encouragement!
For the people who did not win their class spelling bee or the school spelling bee, don’t worry! People make mistakes, and you can learn from them! We want you to know that we are wishing you all the best of luck next year!