​Baker 7th Grader Wins 5th Place in National Spelling Bee.

Baker 7th Grader Wins 5th Place in National Spelling Bee.

It was a surprise homecoming for 7th grader Spelling Bee Champ Aryan Khedkar who made it all the way to the national finals of the Scripps Spelling Bee! 5th in the entire country! Baker Middle School surprised Aryan with a special Clap In Monday morning where he was greeted by fellow students and staff who lined the hallways with pompoms, balloons and inspirational posters. Aryan’s “Hometown hero” welcome was put together by staff led by Baker principal Jonathan Cross: “It is an amazing opportunity to be able to celebrate students’ achievements, to encourage and reward their passions.”

Aryan returned from Washington, DC, exhilarated by the experience. “I felt thrilled, especially as a first-time Scripps participant, as if I had left a lasting impression. The journey was arduous and required me to overcome several stages: the Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and then the Finals. I remember one of the challenging words I encountered, which was "dorr.” Based on its pronunciation and difficulty level I thought the most feasible way to spell the word was "dorr" so I went with it. There were other instances where I had to rely on my intuition or knowledge of word origins, such as bonhomie that I got for my word-meaning round. I guessed bonhomie and was like, "Hmm, well, this word has the French root bon meaning good, and one option says friendliness, so I should pick this option." Aryan was ultimately stumped in the Finals by the word “pharetrone,” a type of sponge, ending up in 5th place.

Once the Finals were done, all the finalists were invited to the White House to take a tour. It was a fantastic experience for students to see the artifacts, like the china, red, blue and green rooms and where the President lives. Also, Scripps didn't just host the competitions it arranged seven days of packed activities for all the National Spelling Bee participants. There were fun activities, including ‘Rule the Word’ challenge, Camp Bee workshops, Lego workshops, Carnival, and many presentations. After the competitions were completed there was an award banquet dinner and a farewell party.

“I was honored to represent not only Oakland County but the entire state of Michigan. My principal, teachers and parents have always encouraged me to pursue my goal, and they always had faith in me.” What’s next for Aryan? After tasting victory, it’s safe to say he will be spelling into the stratosphere in next year’s competition and beyond.

Congratulations, Aryan!! TSD is proud of you!

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