May 4, 2015 3 min read

Atharv Bhave’s favorite subject is social studies. The Canonsburg Middle School seventh-grader loves learning about geography and “what’s going on around the world.” He subscribes to National Geographic magazine and pores over the monthly features and glossy photos.

He also enjoys running cross country and playing soccer and cricket. Most of all, Atharv loves to read. A member of his school’s book club, he enjoys pretty much every genre, except for historical fiction, which he “can’t stand.”

Atharv’s love of reading has not only helped him learn about the world, but also to become an excellent speller.

“I read a lot and, sometimes, I remember words from something I’ve read,” he said.

As the winner of the 65th annual Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee, Aharv’s spelling prowess will be put to the test in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

The event will feature more than 200 middle-schoolers spelling their way through words like recalcitrant (stubbornly refusing to obey rules) and troika (a group of three things).

Not only will Atharv and the other participants have to know how to spell the words, but they will have to know their meaning. This year, the spelling bee has implemented a vocabulary portion.

“There is a lot of studying to prepare for the national with the vocabulary and the sheer volume of words,” said Atharv’s father, Hemant. “It’s going to be an experience.”

Upon winning the regional competition March 14 at Robert Morris University, Atharv, 11, was given four books of words to study. And, although he’s serious about his studies, his priorities are in order.

“I do my homework first,” he said with a smile.

Atharv said his friends and teachers have been very supportive in his most recent achievement.

“The entire faculty, staff and student body are extremely proud of Atharv’s accomplishment,” Greg Taranto, principal of Canonsburg Middle School, said.

In Atharv’s three years of competing in the regional spelling bee, there has been one constant: his lucky shirt, an orange-and-white-striped, collared and long-sleeved talisman that has helped him on his journey.

Atharv credits the shirt for taking him to both the spelling bee and the state geography bee. He said he will definitely wear it for nationals. His mother, Gauri, said she doesn’t know if the shirt is lucky, but she has experienced some unexplained phenomena as well.

“Somehow, I knew he would win,” she said of the regional bee. “I don’t know if it was intuition.”

Those who tune into the televised spelling competition might recognize a few of Atharv’s tricks for remembering how to spell difficult words. Atharv said that getting the language of origin or having a judge use the word in a sentence is helpful. For example, he knows that with French words, the “t” is silent, and with Finnish words, the emphasis is usually on the first syllable.

He will probably also use his placard in pretending to write the word on the back if he’s not sure of the order of letters, such as “ei” or “ie”.

“You can kind of picture it,” he said.

While in Washington, D.C., for the bee, Atharv and his family will participate in the many planned activities sponsored by Scripps. He’s looking forward to the barbecue with other contestants and sightseeing, but most of all, he’s excited for the competition, itself.

“I’m going to try my hardest,” Atharv said. “I hope I go pretty far.”