With one spelling competition win down, student Kirsten Ybarra is setting her sites on the upcoming regional competition on March 24.
- Whiz Kid's Name: Kirsten Ybarra
- Whiz Kid's Age: 13
- Whiz Kid's School: 8th grader at Nazareth Area Middle School
- Whiz Kid's Church:
Accomplishments:
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Kirsten took first place during the Nazareth Area Middle School Spelling Bee. She then went on to the preliminary regionals competition in Feb. at where she took spelling tests and was able to correctly spell 25 words in 1:52, according to our "Whiz Kid."
The next step is the Pennsylvania Regionals Spelling Bee, which will also be held at NCC. If she wins that competition, Kirsten will head to the Scripps National Spelling Bee June 1 - 2 in Washington, D.C.
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Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful?):
According to Kirsten, she has been honing her spelling skills by reading a variety of books and taking practice tests on the Scripps website.
“I go to this website and take a test,” Kirsten said. “They give me the results and I study from that.”
Kirsten’s favorite books are romance and teen fiction with a realistic twist. She also plays the clarinet in the NAMS marching band, performs with a dance team for pep rallies, and enjoys acting in dramas.
She admits that she is a little nervous about the upcoming competition, but is excited too. Kirsten's best advice for anyone interested in competing in a spelling bee is simple: practice.
For interested students, Kirsten recommends, ask your parents to give you 10 words a day to study and test.