13-Year-Old Guinness World Record Holder from Louisiana Wins First Kaplan Online Spelling Bee
August 03 2020 - 8:50AM
Business Wire
After six days, 18 hours, and 504 words delivered through 31
rounds of spelling, 13 year old Zaila Avant-garde, a 7th grader
from Harvey, LA, beat out 88 of the best young spellers in the
country to win the first ever Kaplan Online Spelling Bee, hosted
over the weekend in association with Hexco Academic.
The 2019 New Orleans regional spelling champion won with the
word “Qashqai” (a migratory Turkic-speaking people of the Zagros
mountains), after a hard-fought back-and-forth with runner-up
Harini Logan, a 6th grader from San Antonio, TX. Zaila’s
preternatural poise as she confidently spelled words like
‘yponomeutid’ and ‘haraes’ impressed the judges, as did her speedy
style. Chaitra Thummala, a 5th grader from San Ramon, CA, placed
third.
The level of talent in the competition made her experience
particularly rewarding, Zaila noted, saying, “There were so many
great spellers in the bee. To be able to compete against so many of
the top spellers in the country was definitely a great experience.
Even If I hadn't won I would have been super proud of myself just
for making it to the finals.”
Upon winning, she admitted to being “kind of confused for a
second -- I guess because I was a little shocked that I'd won.
After that, I just felt a great sense of relief knowing that all of
my hard work had led to the best possible outcome.”
That hard work included “a minimum of about 5 or 6 hours a day
to study despite having a bunch of other stuff to do,” Zaila said.
“I'd study wherever and whenever I could -- whether it was while I
was eating breakfast, riding in the car, or even while I was on a
short break during basketball practice. But mostly I'd just sit at
my desk -- turn on a podcast, an old-time radio show, or some music
-- and study words as fast and as carefully as I could via the help
of many different spelling resources.”
Not only is the newly crowned spelling champion a wiz with words
-- she’s a wiz on the basketball court as well. Zaila holds the
Guinness World Record title for "the most bounce juggles in one
minute," which earned her a performance with the legendary Harlem
Globetrotters and a cameo in a Steph Curry Under Armour commercial.
An avid reader whose heroes include Malala Yousafzai, Serena
Williams and Coco Gauff, Zaila hopes to become an archaeologist one
day and also aspires to play in the WNBA.
With the win, Zaila takes home $10,000 and a championship
trophy. Harini earns $4,000; Chaitra wins $1,500. All three win
free enrollments in Kaplan pre-college test prep courses as
well.
“It was a hard-fought, well-deserved win for an inspiring young
woman, and we couldn’t be happier for Zaila,” said Dan Strafford,
Kaplan’s senior manager of new media, who produced the event. “We
also couldn’t be prouder of all of the spellers, as this was an
incredibly talented, impressive group. These spellers have worked
so hard for a chance to demonstrate their skills, which is why we
were glad to work with Hexco to give them this opportunity.”
Linda Tarrant, President of Hexco said, “Our Hexco team enjoyed
every moment working with the Kaplan team to plan and execute this
event. The spellers who participated were phenomenal. Their
intensity as they fielded words showed each speller’s fierce
determination. Their exuberant smiles and excitement as they
conquered their words was a beautiful sight to witness.”
To others looking to pursue competitive spelling, Zaila
recommends, “Study hard and enjoy the process. Being a competitive
speller is such a meaningful and beneficial pursuit. While studying
I've learned so much about linguistics, history, perseverance, and
so many other things. The skills that you learn as a competitive
speller are skills that will benefit you for the rest of your
life.”
This was the first year of the Kaplan Online Spelling Bee,
hosted in association with Hexco Academic, to provide an
opportunity for the nation’s top spellers to compete online after
the Scripps National Spelling Bee was cancelled due to
COVID-19.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of
educational and career services for individuals, schools, and
businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the
test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings
as well as a complete array of print books and digital products,
Kaplan offers preparation for more than 200 standardized tests,
including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate
school. Among those tests are the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, GRE®, GMAT®,
LSAT®, and MCAT®. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and
graduate admissions consulting services.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings
Company (NYSE: GHC)
About Hexco Academic
Founded in 1967, Hexco is a leading publisher of competitive
academics resources that has provided materials to help prepare
National Spelling Bee contestants for 38 years.
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanSATACT
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200803005411/en/
Press: Russell Schaffer russell.schaffer@kaplan.com
917.822.8190
Graham (NYSE:GHC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Graham (NYSE:GHC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024