SOUTHLAND SPELLING BEE DELEGATES MAKE EARLY DEPARTURE.Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - A single letter on Wednesday spelled the difference between competing in the championship and making an early exit for Mariam Firunts of Glendale, who bowed out in the third round of the National 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. . Firunts, 14, the Daily News' National Spelling Bee representative for the second straight year, was tripped by ``ritardando ri·tar·dan·do adv. & adj. Music Gradually slowing in tempo; retarding. Used chiefly as a direction. [Italian, present participle of ritardare, to slow down, from Latin ,'' an Italian word used in music to indicate a slowing of tempo. She spelled it ``retardando.'' Round three also marked the departure of Bethany Young, 13, the Ventura County spelling champ. She heard the dreaded judge's bell that indicated a misspelling mis·spell·ing n. 1. The act or an instance of spelling incorrectly. 2. A word spelled incorrectly. Noun 1. on the word ``recrudescent re·cru·desce intr.v. re·cru·desced, re·cru·desc·ing, re·cru·desc·es To break out anew or come into renewed activity, as after a period of quiescence. ,'' meaning to become harsh or raw. The Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. seventh-grader, who is home schooled, spelled the word ``recruedescent.'' Each girl earned $150 by making it to round three. Firunts easily handled ``incorruptible'' in round two while Young mastered ``mastiff mastiff (măs`tĭf), breed of very large, powerful working dog developed in England more than 2,000 years ago. It stands from 27 to 33 in. (68.6–83.8 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 165 to 185 lb (74.9–83.9 kg). .'' The national champion, to be crowned today, will earn $10,000 from Scripps-Howard Newspapers, sponsor of the 74th National Spelling Bee. Firunts' early departure didn't faze her cheering section in the ballroom of Washington's Grand Hyatt Hotel. It included her mom and coach, Sona Hakopian, her dad, David Arsumanian, and a special rooter from her alma mater, Toll Middle School. ``I just had to be here to see our pride and joy,'' said Hasmik Danielian, Toll's principal. ``Mariam has brought so much honor to our campus. She's a major reason why we were recently named a California Distinguished School.'' ``Being here with my principal made this year's contest all the more special,'' Firunts said. ``She's one of the main reasons I was able to come back for another National Spelling Bee. Thanks to her, our school is perfect.'' Danielian said her trip to Washington was paid for by the Glendale Unified School District The Glendale Unified School District is a school district based in Glendale, California, United States. The school district serves the city of Glendale, portions of the city of La Cañada and the unincorporated communities of Montrose and La Crescenta. , which decided that an official delegation was fitting to honor one of its top middle school students. Firunts, an eighth-grader who will attend Hoover High School Hoover High School may refer to any of the following:
Firunts, whose native tongues are Russian and Armenian and who spoke her first words of English at age 5, will be taking honors courses at Hoover High School. |
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