At the close of the seventh round of this year’s Radford University Regional Spelling Bee – held Saturday, March 28, in Bondurant Auditorium – contestants Ashvin Pinnamaraju and Matilda Schleupner briefly traded quick smiles of pride.
They were seated side-by-side in the 21st and 22nd chairs, representing Roanoke County and Roanoke City respectively, and the look they exchanged was their low-key acknowledgement of the fact that they had just become the final two competitors in a contest that had started with 26 hopefuls from public schools ranging from Alleghany Highlands to Wythe County.
But aside from that fleeting “game recognize game” moment, the young pair remained cool and composed, all business as they volleyed spellings back and forth for another six rounds.
At the end of round 13, Pinnamaraju gained the advantage, then correctly recited the letters of the championship word, thus taking the win.
Since other regional competitions remain in progress around the country, the Scripps National Spelling Bee (SNSB) has asked that none of the spelling words be publicly shared until after April 3, but it’s fair to say the terms in question on March 28 grew increasingly daunting and obscure, vocabulary booby traps in need of defusing that also stretched to four, five and six syllables.
“I skipped my spring break so I could study” for the contest, Pinnamaraju told emcee David Horton ’90 as he proudly collected his trophy.
Clearly, that decision paid off. He now advances to the bee’s national championship, which starts May 26 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
In order to reach Radford’s stage, however, Pinnamaraju – a sixth grader at Cave Spring Middle School – first had to win Roanoke County’s spelling bee. During that February contest, after 23 rounds, Pinnamaraju found himself in head-to-head competition with last year’s regional winner, Rory Grant, and the two of them went back and forth for an additional 50 challenges before Pinnamaraju prevailed in the 73rd round. It was a face-off that capped the longest spelling bee by far in the history of Roanoke County Public Schools, officials have said.
Schleupner, an eighth grader from James Madison Middle School, qualified for regionals on Feb. 6 at Lucy Addison Middle School, dispatching her competition in 19 rounds to become that district’s spelling champion.
This is the third year Radford University has partnered with the SNSB to host the regional challenge. According to the rules, spellers are eligible to participate only if they have not completed the eighth grade, or international equivalent, and have not reached their 15th birthday on or before Aug. 31 of the year prior to the National Competition.
“I’m a huge spelling bee fan, and I’m excited that the Scripps regional spelling bee is held here on our campus,” University Provost Bethany Usher told the audience in her opening welcome. “It’s really exciting to watch all these students as they get to delve into that world.”
The event was coordinated by Debora Bays Wilbon, associate dean of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). Associate Professor of Psychology Stirling Barfield served as the bee’s pronouncer, with Niels Christensen, director of the Honors College, acting as head judge. Also on hand as judges were CEHD’s Dean Tamara Wallace and Professor Katie Hilden. Instruction librarian Barbara Tait and Meghan Viet, director of the Teaching Resource Center, served as the recorders. Horton, who reprised his role as emcee for the third year, is the mayor of Radford and communications officer for the Artis College of Science and Technology.
