Nihal Gelli from Lee County and Nixon Diveley from Collier County earned their way to the top of their district spelling bees, contests open to all middle schoolers in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade.
Nihal, who attends Cypress Lake Middle School, clinched his win in round thirteen with the word “carabiner.” He felt relieved when he heard that word, because he knew it cold. Still, he walked into the competition anxious, knowing some of his peers had been prepping for years. “Not really confident because I knew there were people who studied for years and years to do this. Some people here were just really prepared,” he said.
He hadn’t put in years, but he didn’t slack off either. Nihal spent his spring break drilling word lists and reading, something he loves to do. Ask him about his favorite subject, and he lights up: math is the winner, thanks to a wonderful teacher who hands out treats when students get answers right. Looking ahead, he has his sights set on neurosurgery. “Well, I kind of want to get rich. And I just enjoy stuff with brains and all that,” he said.
Nixon Diveley, from Pine Ridge Middle School, captured victory on the word “domiciled.” He put in at least six hours of study leading up to the event and admits he was a bundle of nerves. “I was pretty confident, but at the same time I didn’t know who the other schools were going to send,” he said. “I was shaking,” he confessed.
Nixon loves Civics but doesn’t see it as his future. “I like Civics, but I’d really like to be a scientist, preferably like a quantum physicist or something.”
Both boys will represent their districts at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., during the last week of May.
