Arlington Hts. teen in Top 4 in national spelling bee
An Arlington Heights teen spelled his way into the top four of the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Friday but ultimately succumbed to a word he'll probably never forget: terribilita.
Fourteen-year-old Adrian Gunawan, an eighth-grader at South Middle School, spelled the art term with Latin and Italian origins as "t-e-r-a-b-i-l-a-t-a" and was knocked out of the competition in the 8th and final round, which claimed several other spellers in rapid succession as well.
Anamika Veeramini, 14, of Cleveland, Ohio, went on to be named champion after correctly spelling "juvia" and "stromuhr" back to back in the renowned competition, televised nationally from Washington, D.C. She wins $30,000 in prize money, $2,500 in U.S. savings bonds, a trophy, and $2,700 worth of encyclopedia materials.
The bee began Thursday with Gunawan scoring perfectly on a 50-word test, then breezing through rounds two to six, spelling "asiago," "obscurantism," "forzato," and "genioglossal." He started Friday as one of 48 semifinalists remaining from a pool of 273, and entered the finals of the 83rd annual competition with "villicus," a word of Latin origin pertaining to an estate, overseer or steward.
He survived the seventh round by spelling "netsuke," a noun of Japanese origin referring to small figures of ivory, wood, metal or ceramics, while four competitors from the Top 10 fell.
In a televised interview, Gunawan said he studied two to four hours a day for the bee and enjoys learning about the origins of words and their influence on English.
"I don't really have a favorite word," he said. "I just spell them as I go."
In keeping with his own style, Gunawan tucked one arm behind his back each time at the microphone, an announcer noted. He also wore his lucky blue undershirt.
"I've either gotten first or second in a spelling bee whenever I've worn that shirt," he said.
Gunawan's advanced language arts teacher, Ellen Wano, said he prepared for the bee by poring over lists and lists of words, including definitions and derivatives. In school, he carried them in a binder so he could spend any spare time studying.
"It's as much as any athlete," Wano said. "And he's done it all independently. It's so much more than the Greek and Latin roots we cover in school. It's Olympic level, really."
It's a return trip for Gunawan to nationals, after advancing in sixth grade when he attended the Chicago Public Schools. He came to South in seventh grade, and Wano credited his parents, who are from Indonesia, with supporting his pursuit of returning to the national spelling bee.
According to his Scripps profile, Gunawan likes chemistry and competed on South's Science Olympiad team. He wants to become either an engineer or a surgeon and uses much of his spare time to study mathematics, his favorite subject.
He also enjoys using the right side of his brain, counting classical music and The Beatles among his favorites.
The eighth-graders at South watched the semifinals on ESPN Friday morning, cheering as he advanced.
"And on ESPN of all things. He is the last person you'd expect to see competing on a sports channel," Wano said. "But we're so proud of him."
Students signed a congratulatory card they'll present to Gunawan on Monday, but he'll have little time to dwell on his success. Next week, he'll prepare for a chemistry bee and attend graduation on Wednesday.
There were 18 total contestants from Illinois. Among the local spellers were Ankush Bajaj of Oak Brook, Brian Andersen of West Dundee, Anne-Marie Hagnell Kommers of Lake Forest and J.R. Gomoll of Richmond.
Daily Herald correspondent Eileen Daday contributed to this report.