WRITTEN-TEST WRINKLE HINDERS LOCAL SPELLER.Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Saro Oknaian, 14, of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. aced his oral exam Noun 1. oral exam - an examination conducted by spoken communication oral, oral examination, viva, viva voce exam, examination, test - a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge; "when the test was stolen the professor had to make a new Wednesday but was tripped up by a tough new written test, forcing him to bow out in round two 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. . Oknaian, the Daily News' entry, correctly spelled ``catenary'' (the curve taken up by a chain or flexible cable hanging freely) in the first round before taking on 25 brain-teasers in a second-round written test. ``I knew the word 'catenary' and was confident as soon as the judge announced it,'' said Oknaian, an eighth-grader at the Armenian General Benevolent Union's Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park. ``The biggest thing was to get past the first round,'' added Oknaian, who earned his way to the finals by beating 34 other San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. area wordsmiths in a regional bee sponsored by the Daily News in March. ``After all my work and coming all this way, I wanted to get to the next rounds,'' he said. ``I'm extremely proud of his accomplishments and that he got this far - Saro has worked so hard,'' said his father, Vatche. ``This is a wonderful opportunity that I know will help him in his studies. ``It's also an additional point on his resume for college. I know that's a long way off, but the competition for college gets tougher every year.'' Saro, who placed second in last year's Daily News bee and prepped for this year's competition by studying 160 words per day, credited his success to his coaches. Family friend Hagop Orchanian, whose son, Mhair, was the Daily News' National Spelling Bee entrant in 1996, was been coaching Saro for the past year. Mhair, now a student at the California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena, Calif.; originally for men, became coeducational in 1970; founded 1891 as Throop Polytechnic Institute; called Throop College of Technology, 1913–20. , has also come back to Manoogian-Demirdjian School to conduct spelling contests. Saro, who will matriculate ma·tric·u·late tr. & intr.v. ma·tric·u·lat·ed, ma·tric·u·lat·ing, ma·tric·u·lates To admit or be admitted into a group, especially a college or university. n. to high school next year, said he also plans to tutor up-and-coming middle school spellers at his alma mater ma·ter n. Chiefly British Mother. [Latin m  ter; see m . CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Saro Oknaian, the Daily News-sponsored entry in the National Spelling Bee, spells ``catenary'' correctly Wednesday. Bill Clark/SHNS |
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