News

Friday, May 16, 2008

La Colina Student Aces State Junior High Spelling Championship

La Colina Junior High School eighth-grade student Kelvin Noronha left the May 10, 2008, California State Junior High School Spelling Championship in San Rafael a winner. Competing against 57 other contenders in grades 7-9, Kelvin took first place in the Spelling Bee with the winning word: ulotrichous. In addition to trophy, Kelvin won a $1,000 savings bond.

Kelvin isn’t a stranger to the competition. Last year, he took fifth-place at the state level Spelling Bee. In 2006, he was the state’s second-place winner at the elementary level. At that time, he words of advice to future spellers: “Pay close attention to everything you read.” Spelling is not his only strength. In 2005, Kelvin competed at the state level of the Geographic Bee.

When asked how he prepared for the competition, Kelvin responded that he reviews the Spelling Bee study lists and he reads a lot. He favors historical fiction, mysteries, and action books. His other interests are studying geography and playing soccer.

Back to the winning word, Answers.com defines ulotrichous as “having woolly or crispy hair.”