It runs in the family: Frisco ISD Spelling Bee draws special visitor

FRISCO, Texas — Forty-five Frisco ISD students took the stage Tuesday to show their spelling prowess. The top 6 from this competition move on to the county bee. And if spelling twisting complicated, words wasn’t hard enough, they had to do it in front of family and friends.

But also in attendance was Karthik Nemmani. The 14-year-old from McKinney won the Scripps National Spelling Bee last year

“You dream of this as a kid, so to achieve that dream is surreal,” Karthik told WFAA.

Karthik came to the district competition to show support for his younger brother, Rishi, who is competing for the first time.

Rishi is a 10-year-old in the 4th grade. As the night wore on, with each list of words, the numbers on the stage dwindled. Krishna Nemmani, Karthik’s father, knows through one son the amount of work it takes to get far in the spelling bee.

“We definitely utilized every second. We counted the days,” the elder Nemmani said.

And it is that effort that many at the bee hope makes them the last student standing.

Karthik gave his brother the same advice he’d give others: “My mom always told me not to think about the result. Just work hard and the results will follow.”

Rishi did ultimately make the top 6 after nearly 13 rounds of spelling. He will advance to the county bee set for two weeks later with a new list of words and a new set of competitors.

These are the winning words from the last 3 years from the Scripps National Spelling Bee:

2017:  MAROCAIN

Definition: a dress fabric that is made with a warp of silk or rayon and a filling of other yarns and is similar to but heavier than canton crepe.

2016: FELDENKRAIS

Definition:  used for a system of aided body movements intended to increase body awareness and ease tension.

GESELLSCHAFT

Definition: a rationally developed mechanistic type of social relationship characterized by impersonally contracted associations between persons.

2015: NUNATACK

Definition: a hill or mountain completely surrounded by glacial ice.

SCHERENSCHNITTE

Definition: the art of cutting paper into decorative designs