logo
Dunlap Valley eight grader makes it past second round of Scripps spelling bee

Dunlap Valley eight grader makes it past second round of Scripps spelling bee

Yahoo28-05-2025

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Dunlap Valley Middle School eighth grader will move on to the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee after defining compelling correctly.
Kavin Kumar Suriya Prakash, 14, successfully navigated the first two rounds Tuesday by spelling 'logothete,' correctly. Logothete was an administrator under the Byzantine emperors, according to the competition's website.
Then, to move onto the quarters, he had to properly define the word compelling which is 'demands and holds one's attention,' they said.
With 60 participants being eliminated through the first two rounds, with 42 exiting in round one and 18 in round two, the Edwards teen is now one of 183 people moving on in the competition, according to the website.
Prakash also enjoys building and coding robots, as he won the Illinois State Champion's Award in the FIRST Lego League World Festival in 2023, according to his profile on the Spelling Bee's website.
He also enjoys chess, winning a silver medal in the state competition, and he also competes in Mathcounts, which we advance to the state championships for, and Scholastic Bowl.
Prakash also runs cross country and earned a black belt in Taekwondo when he was eight.
The competition's quarterfinals will begin on Wednesday, May 28, from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., with the semifinals to come later in the day from 8 to 10 p.m.
The competition is being held in National Harbor, Md., which is a suburb of Washington, D.C.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Iolani School student represents Hawaii at 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee
Iolani School student represents Hawaii at 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Iolani School student represents Hawaii at 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Kira Lau, 13, is a spelling powerhouse. The Iolani School student recently represented Hawai'i at the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee, a milestone year for the prestigious competition that draws top young spellers from across the country. Calling all Oʻahu teens! These summer volunteer spots fill fast: Photos Kira confidently spelled her first word, Fatimid, and followed up with Marooned—a word she defined as 'abandoned on a deserted island.' She made it through two rounds before facing a written test in Round 3, where her impressive run came to an end. 'I was like, if I got out, I already made it this far. It doesn't matter. I accomplished this,' Kira said. Competing on the national stage was a major shift from Hawai'i's local spelling bee, with the setting being more intense. Check out more news from around Hawaii Held at the Gaylord National Resort Convention Center at the National Harbor, spellers were on stage in a large auditorium with judges directly in front of the spellers and an audience full of parents. 'I was trying not to look at everybody. I was just focusing on Dr. Bailey,' she recalled. Jet lag added another challenge. 'We didn't get off Hawai'i time. We were six hours behind. We'd wake up at 1 p.m. and miss stuff,' Kira said with a laugh. 'Then we'd go down and do the activity for the day and go back to the room after.' Still, Kira says the experience was unforgettable. 'I think of how it started in my classroom with just 10 people. Got all the way to Washington, D.C.' When asked her favorite word to spell, she answered: 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.'Her advice for future spelling bee hopefuls? 'Study more than I did,' she said with a smile. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

SeaWolves' Valencia named Eastern League player of the week for first time
SeaWolves' Valencia named Eastern League player of the week for first time

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

SeaWolves' Valencia named Eastern League player of the week for first time

Erie SeaWolf Eduardo Valencia earned Eastern League player of the week honors for the first time. Valencia hit four home runs in the club's series win over Richmond. Erie leads Akron by 1.5 games heading into the final two series' of the first half playoff race in the Southwest division. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Manny Pacquiao and Sydney Sweeney Headline 2025 Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend
Manny Pacquiao and Sydney Sweeney Headline 2025 Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend

Yahoo

time10 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Manny Pacquiao and Sydney Sweeney Headline 2025 Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend

Canastota, NY is known as the showplace for boxing and has continued to be the location for the International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. 'It's a great time for boxing because the whole world of boxing focuses on this celebration to honor the new class of inductees,' said Ed Brophy, the Executive Director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This year's class featured 14 names, four received posthumous inductions and 10 were in attendance. Those names included referee Kenny Bayless in the non-participant category, television producer Ross Greenberg, and journalist Randy Gordon in the observer category, and fighters Manny 'Pac Man' Pacquiao, 'The Pazmanian Devil' Vinny Paz, Michael 'Second To' Nunn, Mary Jo Sanders, Cathy 'Cat' Davis, Yessica 'Kika' Chavez and Anne Sophie Mathis. From Thursday to Sunday, fans had the opportunity to take pictures, get autographs hear ring side talks from previous and new inductees and see the fist casting for the new inductees. 'This is the highest honor to get inducted into the Hall of Fame and fans come from all over,' Brophy said. 'Boxing's the greatest sport and we're excited to present the highest honor.' 'I've been coming to the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 2009, because of the love, because of how well Ed Brophy runs the show here and to actually be inducted just took it up another level for me,' Bayless said. On Sunday, the Parade of Champions made it's way through the streets of Canastota and saw celebrities and previous hall of fame inductees like George Cooney, Jackie Kallen. The parade was headlined by Christy Martin and the Grand Marshal, actress Sydney Sweeney, who will be portraying Martin in a movie later this year. After the parade was the induction ceremony at Turning Stone where the 2025 class received their Hall of Fame rings, reminisced on the past and gave some words of encouragement. 'Don't give up, just stay focused,' Pacquiao said. 'Hard work and discipline. The most important is discipline that's what we can do so we can fulfill our dreams in life. It might not be in boxing but in our lives we have a dream to fulfill, to accomplish. So we should believe in ourselves, of course believe in God, and have hard work and discipline.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store