DC-area spellers reach semifinals at 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee

Megan Barrientos signed up for the spelling bee at Wicomico Middle School with no expectations Spelling competitively wasn t something she had thought about often but to her surprise she started advancing Her success in the Maryland school s bee and then the Eastern Shore regional contest earned her a spot in the th 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 solicited for its origin and part of speech and then spelled it correctly Related stories Scripps National Spelling Bee guide How to watch who the notable spellers are rules and prizes To win the Scripps National Spelling Bee contenders must also master geography Such an honor Va middle schooler prepares to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee PHOTO COLLECTION Scripps National Spelling Bee Barrientos who s in seventh grade is one of a sparse of D C -area students who ve advanced to the national bee s semifinals round To earn that spot she had to overcome a common fear It s very nerve-wracking Barrientos reported I have stage fright It s out of my comfort zone To overcome that she mentioned 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 commented because the pronunciations may be very different from the spellings I didn t expect to advance into the semifinals Barrientos stated Even if I don t win I ll still treasure this experience in my life Sadly it was not to bee and she finished in the semifinals Nargiza Muzhapaer meanwhile reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year She s an eighth grader at Chantilly Academy in Virginia I love the feeling of being on stage Muzhapaer mentioned It s like so different especially since I ve watched the competition growing up It s such a great feeling to just genuinely be there Muzhapaer first participated in a spelling bee in second grade but got serious about it in sixth or seventh she revealed She studies language patterns and roots and works with spelling utility 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 Spelling I love how it incorporates different cultures and how you can learn how different parts of the world have influenced the English language Muzhapaer revealed The bee s finals are scheduled for Thursday Source