PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Ashrita Gandhari, winner of the 32nd annual Daily Item Regional Spelling Bee, holds part of her prize, a massive Merriam-Webster dictionary.
By LEAH DEARBORN
LYNN — After 30 rounds of fierce competition, it all came down to one word on Friday night — ‘uvula.’
“Oh, so that’s what that is,” said first-place winner Ashrita Gandhari after hearing the word defined as a fleshy extension at the back of the soft palate that hangs above the throat.
A fourth-grader at Franklin Elementary School in North Andover, Gandhari was one of more than 50 participants from schools across the region who gathered at Lynn City Hall Auditorium for a chance to compete this May in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Gandhari, who wants to be an exobiologist when she grows up, placed second in last year’s bee and took only a short break before she launched into studying for tonight’s contest.
“I’m really excited,” she said as she clutched part of her prize, a massive Merriam-Webster dictionary.
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Caroline Clark of Sacred Hearts School in Haverhill placed third and Sofia Valencia of Higgins Middle School in Peabody came in a close second.
Before the competition began, contestants in grades three through eight were offered a light dinner and some advice from previous winner, Mitchell Robson.
“Think before you spell, don’t panic,” said Robson, a Marblehead student who placed seventh in last year’s national bee.
Robson said his four years of competing in spelling bees not only improved his public speaking and language abilities, it also earned him a number of new friends from his time attending the national bee in Washington, D.C.
Although Robson was too old to compete in this year’s bee, his younger brother Will Robson carried on the tradition and placed fourth.
Some students were a little nervous before the event, like sixth-grader Robert Desmond of Pickering Middle School in Lynn.
“I do like to spell,” said Desmond, who was worried about getting tripped up on deceptively short words.
As the night went on, however, the rounds became shorter and the words longer, with sportsmanlike applause accompanying the exit of each eliminated speller.
In addition to her new dictionary, Gandhari will be flown down to Washington, D.C. later this year to take part in the national bee.
Joel Abramson of event sponsor Flagship Travel said over 11 million students participate in regional spelling bees every year.
Leah Dearborn can be reached at [email protected].
