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Megan Barrientos signed up for the spelling bee at Wicomico Middle School with no expectations.
Spelling competitively wasn鈥檛 something she had thought about often, but to her surprise, she started advancing. Her success in the Maryland school鈥檚 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鈥檚 in seventh grade, is one of a few of D.C.-area students who’ve advanced to the national bee鈥檚 semifinals round. To earn that spot, she had to overcome a common fear.
鈥�(It鈥檚) very nerve-wracking,鈥� Barrientos said. 鈥淚 have stage fright. It鈥檚 out of my comfort zone.鈥�
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 鈥渢he pronunciations may be very different from the spellings.鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect to advance into the semifinals,鈥� Barrientos said. 鈥淓ven if I don鈥檛 win, I鈥檒l still treasure this experience in my life.鈥� Sadly, it was not to “bee” and she finished in the semifinals.
Nargiza Muzhapaer, meanwhile, reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year. She鈥檚 an eighth grader at Chantilly Academy in Virginia.
鈥淚 love the feeling of being on stage,鈥� Muzhapaer said. 鈥淚t’s like so different, especially since I’ve watched the competition growing up. It鈥檚 such a great feeling to just actually be there.鈥�
Muzhapaer first participated in a spelling bee in second grade, but 鈥済ot serious about it鈥� 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.
鈥淪pelling, I love how it incorporates different cultures, and how you can learn how different parts of the world have influenced the English language,鈥� Muzhapaer said.
The bee鈥檚 finals are scheduled for Thursday.
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