Toronto student wins regional spelling bee in Kitchener, advances to national competition

An 11-year-old Toronto student is heading back to an international spelling competition after winning a regional event in Kitchener.

Arshan Shahriar, a student at Gordon A. Brown Middle School, correctly spelled “stagflation” to win the ECU Scripps Regional Spelling Bee, held Saturday at the Kitchener Public Library.

The event featured 17 students from across Waterloo Region and the Greater Toronto Area, ranging from Grade 3 to Grade 8.

“We’ve done it here in this area for the last four years. So we have a great partnership with Scripps, and it’s just a wonderful opportunity for students to experience the stage to improve on their self-confidence and public speaking,” said Beth Ann Prince, manager of community investment at WFCU Credit Union. “It gives these kids an opportunity for them to compete in an environment that’s not on a soccer field, that’s not on a volleyball court, that’s not on a hockey rink. These kids study and study, and some of the students study up to four hours a night. So they’re passionate about spelling, and we are so very proud of them.”

With the win, Shahriar earns a spot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May.

It will be his third time competing at the national event. Shahriar says he reached the quarterfinals in his previous appearances and hopes to advance further this year.

“I’m very excited to go back again,” he told CTV News after his big win. “I’m really happy that I won today...I got to the quarterfinals first round last time. I got out, unfortunately. So I’m aiming for more this year.”

Participants qualified for the regional competition by winning their respective school-level spelling bees.

With reporting from Krista Simpson