ACE SPELLER READY TO BEE ALL HE CAN BEE.Byline: Mary Beth Alexander Daily News Staff Writer In many ways, Mhair Orchanian is a typical 12-year-old. He loves basketball, Legos and ``The Simpsons.'' His favorite movies are anything in the realm of science fiction. He's witty, curious and a little mischievous. More than once, his impromptu science experiments have turned into minor household disasters, such as blue ink splotches on the carpet or oil stains on the brick patio. Lately, though, the gregarious North Hollywood youngster is enjoying celebrity status. Winner of the Daily News Spelling Bee spelling bee n. A contest in which competitors are eliminated as they fail to spell a given word correctly. Also called spelldown. Noun 1. in March, Mhair will head to Washington, D.C., on May 26 to compete against hundreds of children for the Scripps Howard national championship. His spelling prowess, meantime, has landed him on a morning TV variety show and a radio program. He has been the subject of articles in a local Armenian newspaper and the recipient of certificates and congratulatory letters from city leaders and service organizations. ``This is the largest amount of excitement I've had ever since I was born,'' said the seventh-grader, a student at AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School is an Armenian-American private school located in Winnetka, Los Angeles, California, USA. It is financed and run by the Armenian General Benevolent Union. With 947 students, it is the largest Armenian private school in the Greater Los Angeles area. , a private Armenian K-12 school in Canoga Park. The attention hasn't really gone to Mhair's head. He already had self-assurance to spare. He was so confident that he would become the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Valley's spelling bee champ, he approached a competition official during a break to double-check what prizes awaited the winner. This time, though, he won't have to inquire about the prizes, which include free trips, computer software and books. ``I already know. My dad told me everything,'' Mhair said. ``Just for spelling a couple of words, look what you can get '' His parents, Jack and Anna Orchanian, say they don't really mind the hoopla hoop·la n. Informal 1. a. Boisterous, jovial commotion or excitement. b. Extravagant publicity: The new sedan was introduced to the public with much hoopla. 2. - it could be worse. ``It's a better way of getting attention than shaving his head or dyeing his hair green,'' said his father, who operates a North Hollywood plastics company. It would be hard finding anyone to begrudge be·grudge tr.v. be·grudged, be·grudg·ing, be·grudg·es 1. To envy the possession or enjoyment of: She begrudged him his youth. See Synonyms at envy. 2. Mhair his bit of celebrity. His parents and teachers agree he's earned it. Not only does Mhair have a 4.3 grade-point average, he has already taken the Scholastic Assessment Test, with a math score that places him in the 75th percentile of college-bound high school seniors. ``He's a superlative student. Intellectually, academically, I think he is one of a kind,'' said Hagop Hagopian, principal of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School. Jack Orchanian said his son's teachers more than once have suggested that the youngster skip to a higher grade. But the father said he doesn't want his son to grow up too fast. ``These are his formative years,'' Orchanian said. ``We want him to be with students his age.'' Yet Mhair's quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the knowledge seems far beyond a pre-teen's interest. Preparing for the bee, it is not enough that Mhair knows how to spell. He insists on knowing each word's meaning and origins. He seems truly astonished a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. at what he finds. ``Like the word `mandatory,' '' Mhair says, his eyes wide and his voice emphatic. ``The root of mandatory is the Latin word `manus MANUS. Anciently signified the person taking an oath as a compurgator. The use of this word probably came from the party laying his hand on the New Testament. Manus signifies, among the civilians, power, and is frequently used as synonymous with potestas. Lec. El. Dr. Rom. Sec. 94. ,' meaning hand. ``Can you believe it? It's amazing. How can the two be related?'' Mhair stays up till midnight or beyond studying for the bee, after completing homework for his classes. His father is his sounding board, reading words from endless lists and coaching his son to use everything he knows about prefixes, suffixes and roots to spell the words he doesn't know. Mhair and his father acknowledge that they are daunted daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin by what lies ahead. But Jack Orchanian says his son has one thing going for him. ``He's a natural speller spell·er n. 1. One who spells words: students who are good spellers. 2. An elementary textbook containing exercises that teach spelling. Noun 1. .'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Mhair Orchanian Headed for Washington, D.C. |
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