THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604260172
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 41 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
For Douglas Pichardo it was ``athletics.'' For Neema Ardalan it was ``immense.'' Those two words, spelled correctly, led to the elementary school spelling bee championship for the two boys.
Pichardo, 10, attends Point O' View Elementary School, where he is a fourth-grade student. Ardalan, 10, goes to Indian Lakes, where he is in the fifth grade.
The spelling bee, held at Plaza Middle School recently, featured fourth- and fifth-grade competitors from 19 city schools.
Gail Agor, a gifted resource teacher at Plaza Middle School, served as master of ceremonies, called out the words to be spelled and supplied clarification or a definition when requested to do so.
The students sat in chairs on the stage until called upon to spell their word. A misspelling eliminated the speller, and once the competition got down to the final two, those students came to the microphone together for a head-to-head match.
For the fourth-graders, that came down to Pichardo and eventual second-place finisher Serena Yang of Providence Elementary School. She was asked to spell ``athletics.''
When Serena added an ``e'' between the ``h'' and the ``l,'' Pichardo had his chance. He spelled the word correctly and then spelled ``continental'' for the win.
For Ardalan, the chance came when runner-up Keesa Mendaros left an ``m'' out of ``immense.'' He then spelled ``investigation.''
The serious competition provided at least one light moment: A fourth-grader was called upon to spell ``symbiosis.'' He looked toward Agor and said, ``What was that?'' She provided him with the definition, but the still-puzzled speller missed the word. He started haltingly with ``c . . . e . . . m'' and received the spelling bee equivalent of the gong: a bell to indicate the misspelled word.
Both spelling champions are winners in the classroom, too. They make straight A's and attend the Old Donation Center for the Gifted and Talented.
Pichardo likes math and science, in addition to spelling. He is the son Linda and Paul Pichardo.
Ardalan, the son of Roya and Ali Ardalan, wants to be a pediatrician when he grows up.
Was the contest intense? ``No, not really. Spelling is so easy,'' he said.
The contest was sponsored by McDonald's on South Lynnhaven Parkway, which is owned by Donna and Gene Feuerhahn. They have an Adopt-A-School partnership with Plaza and began sponsoring the spelling bee five years ago. Coca-Cola also provides support.
First-place winners received a trophy and a hand-held color television. Second-place winners got a trophy and a portable CD player. All contestants got ribbons and T-shirts. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by GARY EDWARDS
Douglass Pichardo, 10, of Point O' View Elementary, won the
fourth-grade competition, correctly spelling ``athletics'' and
``continental'' for the win.
Neema Ardalan, 10, of Indian Lakes Elementary, won the fifth-grade
competition, correctly spelling ``immense'' and ``investigation''
for the win.
by CNB