Relatable and remarkable - that's Clara Mervak. I think that's gonna be pretty tough to go up against, but I'm not gonna study three to four hours a day. “I think some of those kids are practicing as much as that book that I read, says. I'm just excited for the experience.“Ĭlara understands she has a tall task ahead.

She added, “I read a book, and apparently (you're) supposed to practice like three to four hours a day. 'Not much, but enough so that I can remember some roots and words.” “I try and put in 30 to 45 minutes a day,' she said. “It's good motivation for me, but it's also very nerve-wracking because all of these kids have been studying for years,' she said.Ĭlara's study habits look a little different. There are 231 total students, all ranging from third to eighth grade.Īs a fifth grader, Clara falls on the younger side. Her next escapade takes her to Washington, D.C. I was so relieved when finally they were like, 'Oh, nevermind, you're actually right.'” So, then I just stood there for a minute while they were like looking through the books and reviewing to see if it was actually right. I spelled it right, but the judges said it was wrong. “In the first round, I think I got the hardest word out of all them. That core memory was almost a forgotten experience instead. “For at least a whole day after I won, I still could not believe that I did,' Clara said. It's hard to do much better than Clara in her first year as a speller, winning a regional bee to secure a spot on the national stage at the end of this month. “Did you ever thank your teacher for giving you this option? Because look at where it's taken you?' FOX 17 asked. This hobby of hers only dates back a few months, to the start of her fifth grade school year at Northglade Montessori Magnet School in Kalamazoo.Ĭlara never really considered it before, but spelling bee prep was offered to students, so she signed up. “I think it's just a new hobby that I picked up,' she told FOX 17. Some contestants at the Scripps National Spelling Bee have dedicated their life to the dictionary.

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