By Amy Batista, Special Writer
EAST WINDSOR — One township resident is a spelling bee winner of New Jersey.
Fifth-grader Nathan Ackerman, 11, won third place in a state spelling bee held March 9 at the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs Headquarters on the campus of Douglass Residential College at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
”I liked the challenge a lot,” Nathan told the Herald on March 25.
Tuesday, Nathan was recognized at the East Windsor Board of Education meeting.
”We are very proud of him,” said his dad, David Ackerman, noting it was the first time his son had competed before a lot of people.
”It spoke well of the level of interest the kids have in reading and vocabulary and competing,” Mr. Ackerman added.
According to Mr. Ackerman, his son heard about the spelling bee through his class. It was done through the school district first.
Nathan didn’t have much time to prepare for the spelling bee; he was the ninth alternative. There was a limited number of students, 60, his dad said.
”We got a call the day before the district spelling bee,” Mr. Ackerman said. “He really didn’t have the word list. He really didn’t have a whole lot of time to prepare, and he went in and came in first in the district spelling bee and then went on to the regional bee.”
”I practiced from the word list,” Nathan said is how he prepared for the state spelling bee.
Nathan is looking forward to participating in future bees.
”He just had such a good time with it that he got caught up in the whole thing, — so did we,” Mr. Ackerman said. “He now wants to go to the Scrips Nationals.”
For Nathan, his favorite moment was the announcement of the top three winners in which his name was announced.
Nathan attends the Ethel McKnight School.
”Our entire school community is extremely proud of him for his participation, and third-place win,” said Principal Silvana Zircher on March 20. “Nate is a very dedicated and hardworking student. He is an avid reader and an enthusiastic writer with a robust vocabulary.”
In the competition, first place went to Nina Osso, of Harrington Park, and second place went to Grace Cuddihy Cranford.
”Charlatan knocked out our second-place winner,” said Tara Pridy, Education Community Service Committee chairwoman for the state Board of the Jersey Juniors, to the Herald on March 19.
”After a student missed ‘charlatan,’ the winner had to spell ‘battalion,’” Ms. Pridy said.
According to Ms. Pridy, Nathan went out on “contemptuous,” and the fourth-place winner missed the “e” in “eulogy.”
”Students are extremely nervous when standing before a large crowd of peers, judges and families. They often misspell words that they would normally get correct when writing in the classroom,” Ms. Pridy said.
Nathan encourage others to participate in spelling bees and “not to be scared of losing.”
His dad shared Nathan’s sentiment.
”Encourage your kids to want to participate in things and take a chance,” Mr. Ackerman.
