Not your average spelling test Not your average spelling test (June 10, 2005)

Pleasanton student ties for second in national spelling bee
by Rebecca Guyon

Most people haven't even heard of the word hyperkalemia, but it is one of 14-year-old Aliya Deri's favorites. It's no surprise she'd pick such an obscure word - as the second place winner in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, Deri has an arsenal to chose from.

"I like the word hyperkalemia because it means having too much potassium in your body and most people don't consider potassium to be with a 'k' but that's its symbol in the periodic table of elements," Deri said. "It's a cool word."

Deri, an eighth grader who takes home school classes and is a student at Harvest Park Middle School, tied with Samir Patel, a student from Texas, in the 18th round of competition, which was held in Washington D.C. June 1 and 2.

"I never expected to get that far in the competition," Deri said. "It didn't register for about a day that it happened."

Making it to the 18th round wasn't easy, and Deri had three close calls along the way, she said.

"In the third round I got 'reticulated' and it seems everyone I've talked to knows that word except for me," Deri said.

After using her entire time limit, Deri finally was able to spell the word, which is defined as having the form or appearance of a net. Deri was also thrown off in the eighth round when she was given the word flavedo (the skin of a citrus) and again in the 11th round when she was asked to spell domra (a Russian instrument), neither of which she had heard before.

While Deri was making it past round after round, her family watched nervously in the audience and, back at home, the students and staff at Harvest Park spent the morning watching the competition. Deri had no idea the entire school was watching until she called later in the day and got the celebrity treatment.

"When I called, the person who answered the phone said, 'This is Aliya Deri?' and I thought she didn't know who I was, but then she freaked out and said everyone was watching and you could hear the cheers all over school," Deri said.

When she returned to Harvest Park on Monday there was a huge sign congratulating her at the front of the school. Deri also takes French and intermediate algebra at Amador Valley High School and students from both those classes made posters for her.

She also received accolades from Congressman Richard Pombo (R.-11) who read a congratulatory note into the Congressional record saying, "Aliya misspelled 'trouvaille,' meaning windfall, in the 18th round, but I want her to know that our windfall is to have such a gifted and talented individual in California's 11th Congressional District."

Deri first got involved with the spelling bee scene in fourth grade when her older sister Joya, who was in seventh grade at the time, went to the state competition and took home fourth place. The following year, Joya went back to the state spelling bee and came in first. Deri became Joya's spelling coach, and that early experience gave her an edge, said her mom Chandran Deri. It also sparked her interest to go to state, and then the nationals, once she was old enough.

"My sister's experience was the inspiration," Deri said. "When I went with her to the spelling bees people would ask me when I was going to come, and thought maybe I can do it too," Deri said.

Deri will be starting high school next year, making her ineligible for the National Spelling Bee, which is only for middle school age students. But, her spelling will still come in use and she even offered advice for those who are looking to improve their spelling.

"The best way to improve is to focus more on learning roots and languages instead of straight memorization," she said. "Also, never give up. It doesn't matter whether you ever win a bee. What matters is that you keep going. It's really a life lesson."
Can you spell ... ?

Aliya Deri came in second at Scripps' National Spelling Bee by spelling words such as:
Devastavit - n., A waste or misapplication of the assets of a deceased person by an executor or an administrator.
Nephalism - n., Total abstinence from spirituous liquor.
Gallipot - n., A glazed earthen pot or vessel used by druggists and apothecaries for containing medicines, etc.

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