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Kim Lamb • LVN file photo Shiva Rajagopal won the Nevada State Spelling Bee on Saturday in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Eighth grader Shiva Rajagopal followed in his sister's footsteps on Saturday, guessing right on "amanuensis" and winning the Nevada State Spelling Bee.
During the last round of the four-hour event, Shiva stood calmly on the theater stage of Cimarron-Memorial High School and thought about the word carefully.
"Could I have the definition, please?" Shiva asked after bee moderator and KVBC-TV reporter Kendall Tenney repeated the word for him.
"One who is employed to write some dictation or copy what another has written," Tenney said.
Tenney then used the word in a sentence. Shiva drew a breath and enunciated a string of letters that he thought might make up the unfamiliar word.
During the last round of the four-hour event, Shiva stood calmly on the theater stage of Cimarron-Memorial High School and thought about the word carefully.
"Could I have the definition, please?" Shiva asked after bee moderator and KVBC-TV reporter Kendall Tenney repeated the word for him.
"One who is employed to write some dictation or copy what another has written," Tenney said.
Tenney then used the word in a sentence. Shiva drew a breath and enunciated a string of letters that he thought might make up the unfamiliar word.
"Guess what? You're the Nevada state champion," Tenney said as the audience erupted into applause.
Shivani Dixit, a sixth-grader at Las Vegas Day School, earned second place in the spelling bee. Lawrence Middle School sixth-grader Miguel Baello took third place in the competition.
Shiva, who attends Churchill County Junior High School, is a state spelling bee veteran, finishing in fourth place in 2005 and in second place last year.
His victory is the second time that the Rajagopal family has brought spelling bee glory to Churchill County. His sister, Shankari Rajagopal, won the state bee title in 2004 and finished among the final 37 in national competition.
"I was surprised," Shiva said, smiling as he stood on stage holding his trophy. "I totally guessed."
Shivani Dixit, a sixth-grader at Las Vegas Day School, earned second place in the spelling bee. Lawrence Middle School sixth-grader Miguel Baello took third place in the competition.
Shiva, who attends Churchill County Junior High School, is a state spelling bee veteran, finishing in fourth place in 2005 and in second place last year.
His victory is the second time that the Rajagopal family has brought spelling bee glory to Churchill County. His sister, Shankari Rajagopal, won the state bee title in 2004 and finished among the final 37 in national competition.
"I was surprised," Shiva said, smiling as he stood on stage holding his trophy. "I totally guessed."
After winning the state spelling bee, Shiva now is focusing on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place in May in Washington, D.C.
Shiva said he's planning to study for nationals in much the same way that he prepared for state competition - studying word books and lists with help from his father and mother, Rajagopal Krishnamoorthy and Karpagam "Jeeks" Rajagopal.
"By all means, have your parents help you," Shiva said when asked what advice he'd share with aspiring spelling champs.
The spelling bee drew 43 contestants from across the state. Students in grades six, seven and eight were eligible to compete. Speller after speller walked to the microphone to tackle the words voiced by Tenney, only to leave the stage after hearing a judge sound the bell that followed a misspelled word.
Shiva stumbled on several words himself as the bee entered the final rounds among the final three contestants. He misspelled "duumvirate," a noun that means a partnership of two persons, and "luculent," an adjective that means easily understood. But Shiva stayed competitive because Shivani and Miguel also misspelled their words in those rounds.
Shiva said he's planning to study for nationals in much the same way that he prepared for state competition - studying word books and lists with help from his father and mother, Rajagopal Krishnamoorthy and Karpagam "Jeeks" Rajagopal.
"By all means, have your parents help you," Shiva said when asked what advice he'd share with aspiring spelling champs.
The spelling bee drew 43 contestants from across the state. Students in grades six, seven and eight were eligible to compete. Speller after speller walked to the microphone to tackle the words voiced by Tenney, only to leave the stage after hearing a judge sound the bell that followed a misspelled word.
Shiva stumbled on several words himself as the bee entered the final rounds among the final three contestants. He misspelled "duumvirate," a noun that means a partnership of two persons, and "luculent," an adjective that means easily understood. But Shiva stayed competitive because Shivani and Miguel also misspelled their words in those rounds.
Karpagam Rajagopal said she barely could stand to watch her son as the tension grew, and although he appeared composed to everybody else, she knew he was feeling the pressure.
"He was about ready to puke," Karpagam Rajagopal said. "I could tell."
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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
"He was about ready to puke," Karpagam Rajagopal said. "I could tell."
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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
