Former local student closes in on spelling semifinal
Published Thursday August 21st, 2008
Nikethana (Nike) Srikanth has been busier than most other kids her age this summer.
The 12-year-old former Albert Street Middle School student has had to deal with her family moving to Burlington, Ont., while also mulling the possibility that she has a chance to become Canada's best young speller.
Srikanth is in Halifax today to take part in a regional spelldown for Canada's Super Speller, a new CBC TV reality show.
Srikanth has made it through two preliminary rounds, which included a local spelldown at York Sunbury Museum in June. Now she'll be pitted against three other qualifiers from New Brunswick for a chance to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Four hundred Canadian children made it to various local qualifying rounds, and 48 remain.
"I'm definitely a little nervous," she said.
"My sister Nina has been quizzing me almost every night and helping me practice whenever I feel like it."
She credits her passion for writing and her background in linguistics as the main reasons for her spelling skills. Srikanth is fluent in English, Spanish and Tamil.
She said the move to Ontario has been hectic for her, but added she'll do her best to represent the city she still considers her hometown.
"I really miss my friends back home, but my family has been really supportive of me through all of this. They've been behind me 100 per cent."
Cheryl Hassen, one of the show's executive producers, said that Canada's Super Speller isn't your average spelling bee.
"A portion of the show will feature straight spelling, but then there is also a speed spelling round, which is really spelling 2.0 and more than a spelling bee because the kids have to maintain their cool and composure under pressure," she said.
The winners of each of the 12 regional spelldowns will move on to the semifinals at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., in October.
At least one representative from each province will be in the semifinal portion of the show, with only four spots up for grabs in the final round.
The winner of the show will receive a $20,000 registered education savings plan, a laptop computer and a custom trophy.
Hassen said the show is set for six, one-hour installments but it hasn't been announced when the series will go to air.
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