2005 National Spelling Bee Results

"Anurag slays appoggiatura EDUCATION: Homeschoolers and hard-working Asian descendants continue national spelling bee domination

by Priya Abraham

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Only at the very end did 13-year-old speller Anurag Kashyap lose his cool. Exsiccosis did not dismay him in Round 17, and he slew ornithorhynchous in Round 12. But so stunned was he when he won the 78th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, he shielded his face with his contestant number and dissolved into tears.
If Anurag was overwhelmed, it may have been because the whole room was cheering for him. Spellers knocked out earlier yelped in anticipation when the pronouncer declared appoggiatura as his final word, knowing it was a cinch for the eighth-grader from San Diego. Parents sprung to their feet in applause and remained standing as he hoisted the champion's gold trophy...............
Homeschoolers have been increasingly successful at the national spelling bee, as well as other academic competitions. This year's bee saw 34 homeschool children who are not only accomplished academics, but musicians and athletes, too. Another group blazing trails includes children like Anurag, sons and daughters of South Asian immigrants who emphasize strong study habits. The top four spellers this year were Indian, as were three of the four previous champions since 2001.
For champion Anurag, who has appeared twice at the bee, the prize is hefty: $22,000, a $5,000 college scholarship, a $1,000 U.S. savings bond, and sets of encyclopedias. Ever responsible, the California native said he would save the money for college. But right now, he has to figure out what to do with his time during spelling bee season next year. —•

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June 3, 2005, 8:00AM
Giving new meaning to second place
Texas speller wows the judges with his knowledge of word definitions at the national beeBy ALEXIS GRANTCopyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - Texan Samir Patel not only spelled correctly nearly all the words he drew during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, he also rattled off their definitions.
But it wasn't good enough.
The 11-year-old tied for second in the 78th annual competition Thursday after missing the word "roscian," which means pertaining to or involving acting.
He was in a fierce competition, going head-to-head with three spellers for five rounds before making an error. In the end, it was 13-year-old Anurag Kashyap of Poway, Calif., who came out on top with the correct spelling of "appoggiatura," a musical note. Aliya Deri, 13, of Pleasanton, Calif., was the other second place winner.
Samir, who is home-schooled in Colleyville, wowed the crowd in several rounds when he replied to the judge's words with their definitions.
"Does it mean the biting of fingernails?" he replied, when asked to spell "onychophagy."
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