David Habibi of Chabad Academy spelled both of his words correctly in the second and third rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, but the fifth-grader failed to make it to the semifinals of the contest in Washington, D.C.
Habibi took on all comers in Myrtle Beach’s spelling bee in March. He clinched the win with “ephemeral.” He liked his chances heading into the national contest.
“I think I have a good chance of winning,” he told the Canwest News Service on Wednesday. “Well, a chance.”
But the first round apparently tripped him up. The contest is divided into three rounds before the semifinals.
In the first, the spellers are asked to spell 50 words at a computer. Only 25 will count, but the spellers aren’t told which ones. In the second and third rounds, spellers attempt words on stage in a more traditional format. The scores from each round are added together to determine who moves on.
Habibi correctly spelled “gauche” and “schadenfreude” in the second and third rounds, broadcast on ESPN3 Friday.
The results of the first round are not provided for each speller, but Habibi did not move on to the semifinals after scores were tabulated.
an eleven year old who makes such a big kiddush hashem is destined to do great things in his life
good job david, and go chabad of myrtle beach!
Nice Kidush Hashem!
You didn’t fail anything! You did a great job! Keep it up and use your excellent memory for great things! You might want to try to do some Mishnayos/Tanya Baal Peh…maybe you already are.
nice job kid
impressive!!
nice try