Which spelling bee contestant was eliminated for misspelling the word derriengue?
Neetu Chandak, of Seneca Falls, knew when she was right and when she was wrong during the finals of the 82nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night. Neetu celebrated by throwing her arms in the air after she correctly spelled “ophelimity”. But when the 13-year-old spelled “derriengue” with one r in the second round, she followed it by saying “ding,” the sound of the elimination bell. Kavya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, won by spelling “Laodicean” correctly. She beat out the youngest finalist Tim Ruiter, 12, of Reston, Va. Besides spelling, Neetu, a student at Seneca Falls middle school, excels in math and music. She participated in a regional math competition and played clarinet in an all-county band concert. She collects coins and rocks and speaks Hindi. Neetu aspires to become an architect or interior designer. Sources: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090528/NEWS01/90528038/1002/NEWS/Seneca+Falls+girl+advances+to+finals+of+spelling+bee Seneca Falls girl misses second word in bee finals NICOLE GAUDIANO | Washington bureau | May 28, 2009 WASHINGTON — After surviving a written test and six oral rounds, 13-year-old Neetu Chandak of Seneca Falls stumbled on the word “derriengue” at the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The Seneca Falls Middle School seventh-grader asked for the language of origin and other pronunciations, spelling it on her hand and looking upward for inspiration before her attempt. After making her attempt — “d-e-r-i-e-n-g-u-e” — she seemed to anticipate the ringing of the bell that tells spellers they’ve missed a word. “Ding?” she asked, smiling. Neetu thanked the judges and got a big hug from her father, Mahes
Neetu Chandak, of Seneca Falls, knew when she was right and when she was wrong during the finals of the 82nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night. Neetu celebrated by throwing her arms in the air after she correctly spelled “ophelimity”. But when the 13-year-old spelled “derriengue” with one r in the second round, she followed it by saying “ding,” the sound of the elimination bell. Kavya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, won by spelling “Laodicean” correctly. She beat out the youngest finalist Tim Ruiter, 12, of Reston, Va. Sources: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/seneca_falls_speller_falls_to.
