Sixth grader takes home Monterey County Spelling Bee top prize

On top of their normal homework, some students have been memorizing the dictionary and preparing for the 20th annual Monterey County spelling bee.

News Channel 5 spoke with one middle schooler who used the skills she’s learned on the softball field to strengthen her confidence on the stage.

“It’s really, like, mental- most of the time, because if you say that you don’t know how to spell the word or if you’re thinking that you can’t do this than you’re most likely going to get the word wrong,”

Spelling bee finalist Naylani Damiani, 13, said.

Damiani is a seventh grader from Marina and is one of the 49 spelling bee finalists competing at Hartnell College. Damiani plays softball and said she uses the mental aspect of the sport to help her compete in the spelling bee.

The students are given this packet with more than 1,000 words, with some challenge words even in German.

Diamani said she’d been preparing with the test packet for about a month.

“I just try to have like quiet and just study my words and have my parents or one of my family members test me on the words,” said Damiani.

Damiani’s number one fans came to cheer her on.

“Its a good experience just to make it to the county and get through the school so whatever she comes out with, it’s the experience I was more worried about with her,” said her father, Cory Williams.

Whether students got the answer right or wrong, parents all around were proud of their kids.

One mom said English isn’t her first language, so if her son needs to learn a word, he looks it up himself, helping him become a good speller.

“I feel sometimes bad because we, I’m a student, too, and we couldn’t provide him like such opportunity,” said Spogmay Sharifzad.

All participating champions walked away with something, but the first place winner took home a new Webster’s dictionary.

Damiani said win or lose she’s just happy to broaden her vocabulary.

“To learn, like, new words, and I can use them in class,” said Damiani.

Nina Harmer, a sixth grader at All Saint’s Day School, took home the win. She successfully spelled the word, “amphibious.” This May, she will represent Monterey County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

There, she’ll be up against more than 280 regional winners from all over the country.