Novi Student Competes In National Spelling Bee

(UPDATED) NOVI, MI — Novi’s Varad Mulay and Shelby Township’s Brendan Pawlicki have been eliminated from the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals. Mulay made it to the fifth round while Pawlicki went out in the fourth round. The event, which concludes Thursday evening, is being held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, just outside of Washington, D.C.

Mulay missed on the word “warison,” which means a “bugle call to attack.” The Novi Middle School eighth grader spelled it werisun. He advanced to the fifth round by getting “obmutescence” correct (keeping silent or mute).

As for Pawlicki, he misspelled “desman” in the fourth round. The fifth grader at St. Lawrence Catholic School spelled the word, which means an aquatic mammal, desmond.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Novi Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Both Michigan boys survived three rounds of competition Wednesday to advance. Round one including spelling and vocabulary words such as “sortilege,” “reverberant,” and “macaronic.” Those completing the opening round successfully moved to the on-stage rounds.

Mulay spelled “rialto” correctly in round two. In case you’re wondering what it means, it is “ a marketplace, or a place of exchange.” In round three, Mulay got “bumptious” correct (self-assertive, or proud to an irritating degree).

Pawlicki nailed “requiem” in round two (a mass for the dead). In round three, the Shelby Township resident he got “animism” (the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe).

The overall winner of this year’s spelling bee will take home $40,000. Second places earns $30,000, third place $20,000 and fourth place $10,000. Prizes are handed out to all competitors that survive through round four on Thursday.

Photos by Scott Daniel (Patch Staff)