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5 memorable moments from the National Spelling Bee

By WTOP Staff

BEN NUCKOLS
Associated Press

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Five memorable moments from Thursday’s semifinals and finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee:

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Jacob Williamson of Cape Coral, Florida, took a confident, aggressive approach to his first and only appearance in the National Spelling Bee — until it cost him.

If he thought he knew a word, the 15-year-old didn’t bother to do what nearly every speller does: ask questions about the definition, etymology and part of speech, just to be sure.

He also made no attempt to hide his delight.

“I know it! I know it!” he yelled after hearing the word “kabaragoya,” a large, aquatic lizard. He almost knew it — but he started with a “c” instead of a “k.”

“What?” he said as the bell signaled his departure. He finished in seventh place.

“I thought I knew that word, but I guess I didn’t,” he said afterward.

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When you’re stumped, you’re stumped.

After hearing the word “hallenkirche,” a German-derived term for a Gothic church, Tejas Muthusamy, the youngest finalist at age 11, said, “Oh-kaaay.”

Tejas, from Glen Allen, Virginia, made a game attempt before tripping up on the final hard consonant sound. But he wasn’t at all surprised to get it wrong.

“Obviously,” he said with a smile as he heard the bell signaling a misspelled word.

“I was just ecstatic when I was named as a championship finalist and was just happy to get past the first round,” he said. “Even though I got a hard word, I managed it well.”

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Champion spellers can find humor where others might miss it.

Gokul Venkatachalam, who usually spelled and quizzed pronouncer Jacques Bailly in a deadpan monotone, had a quick one-liner when he got the word “guttatim,” which means drop by drop. “Guh-TAY-tim, guh-TAH-tim,” he said, riffing on the line “You say toh-MAY-toh, I say toh-MAH-toh” from the song “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”

Gokul got a big laugh from the crowd and struggled to suppress a smile as he spelled the word easily. The 13-year-old from Chesterfield, Missouri, ended up finishing third and would be among the favorites if he returns next year, his final year of eligibility.

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Jae Canetti of Falls Church, Virginia, making his third appearance in the bee, was eliminated from the semifinals immediately after ESPN2 profiled him and his family. His mother was diagnosed with cancer just two months before last year’s bee, which he said affected his preparation and concentration, and he missed the semifinals by one point. She has since recovered and was in the audience Thursday.

Jae received a standing ovation after he misspelled “parseval,” a non-rigid airship.

“That show of support really has comforted me,” Jae said afterward in a televised interview.

Normally calm onstage, Jae squinted and fidgeted as he tried to guess the word. The 12-year-old seventh-grader has one year of eligibility remaining.

“The one word I didn’t know, pretty much,” Jae said. “I’ve just got to study more German.”

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At 5-foot-10, Kate Miller of Abilene, Texas, is accustomed to towering over her fellow spellers. A dancer and an aspiring writer, her hobbies include film analysis, knitting Rodentia and “crafting irreverent travesties of pop songs,” according to her official spelling bee biography.

“I’m not the tallest speller, but I’m the tallest finalist,” Kate said. “When I competed in sixth grade, I was 5-8, and when I competed in seventh grade, I was 5-9, and in eighth grade, fittingly, I’m 5-10.”

Kate smiled throughout her time onstage and leaned over to speak into the microphone. When she was eliminated from the finals, she gave a regal wave to the crowd. Earlier, she said she enjoys being nervous, and she admitted her first semifinal word, “duello,” was “a complete guess.”

“I feel more alive when I’m nervous. I think that a bit of nervous energy, not debilitating to the point where you can’t remember what you’ve learned, but a certain amount of nervousness really does help you,” she said. “It helps you remember why you’re there.”

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Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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