Yuma student places 12th in state spelling bee

  Zeeshan Jawaid, a fourth-grader at Pueblo Elementary School, was able to outspell 15 other students Saturday at the Arizona State Spelling Bee in Tempe.

  Zeeshan placed 12th overall and was eliminated from the competition after spelling the word "exogenous," an adjective that means of, relating to, or developing from external factors.

  After winning the 63rd Yuma County Spelling Bee, Zeeshan became eligible to compete at the state level bee.

  The competition, which was recorded by the Arizona PBS studio, was held in Stauffer Hall at Arizona State University. The top 27 spellers in Arizona met for the battle of words, but there could be only one victor.

  "I am very happy I did so well," said Zeeshan. "I was competing against 26 others, and I'm only a fourth-grader, so it was very tough. I was kind of nervous, but I made it through nine rounds. I did my best."

  Zeeshan's mother was beaming with pride in reference to her son.

  "I am absolutely proud of my son," said Suika Somjee Jawaid. "He was the only fourth-grader at the bee. His dad and I are extremely happy he came this far. We will try again next year."

   When asked if he wanted to advance to state again, Zeeshan said, "Of course I want to do this again next year."

  So-Young Chung, a seventh-grader at Terra Mar School in Peoria, beat out the competition and will advance to the national championship in Washington, D.C. This will be Chung's second consecutive year representing Arizona at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

  According to the Arizona Educational Foundation, the spelling bee is an event that challenges children K-8 to use their spelling and phonetic skills in a competitive environment.

  The top 27 spellers in the state compete in the Arizona Spelling Bee to determine who will represent Arizona at the nationals. The winner and an escort receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete with spellers from all over the nation.