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Pullman’s Navtaj Singh spells his way to the top for the third time

Rowan Thomas, of Lena Whitmore and West Park Elementary, left, Nataj Singh, of Lincoln Middle School, and Alaina DeCaria, of Prairie-Cottonwood Jr./Sr. High School, pose for a photo after placing in the top three of the 38th annual Inland Northwest Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday inside the Williams Conference Center in Lewiston, Idaho. (Jordon Opp/Lewiston Tribune)
Rowan Thomas, of Lena Whitmore and West Park Elementary, left, Nataj Singh, of Lincoln Middle School, and Alaina DeCaria, of Prairie-Cottonwood Jr./Sr. High School, pose for a photo after placing in the top three of the 38th annual Inland Northwest Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday inside the Williams Conference Center in Lewiston, Idaho. (Jordon Opp/Lewiston Tribune)
By Kaylee Brewster Lewiston Tribune

LEWISTON, Idaho – For the third time, Navtaj Singh took the top spot against the best spellers in the Inland Northwest.

Singh correctly spelled “mauve” after 11 rounds of spelling as well as a practice round Saturday in the 38th annual Inland Northwest Spelling Bee at Lewis-Clark State College. The win means he and his family will once again travel to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., at the end of May.

“It’s a tradition, I guess,” said Gurvinder Singh, Navtaj’s dad.

His mom, Nadeep, and sister, Gurveena, also head to Washington, D.C. Gurvinder said the first year they were “pretty awestruck” with the nation’s capital, but by now they know their way around. He said even the drivers know there’s a spelling bee going on as the national event is a big deal in the city.

Last year, Navtaj Singh tied for the 12th spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. This year he’s hoping to do even better.

“My goal is to get to the final round and see the White House,” Navtaj Singh said.

Typically, those who reach the top 10 get a visit to the president’s home.

Navtaj Singh has also learned from his time on the national stage and used those experiences in the regional event.

“One thing I learned is to always take your time,” he said. “If you rush, you might say the wrong letter even if you know the word.”

Another technique he used was to ask questions about the word. During Saturday’s event he would often ask pronouncer LCSC professor Peter Remien for “all the information” about the word, which included the word’s origin, definition or having it used in a sentence. He would then “write” the word on his hand before spelling it out loud.

Navtaj Singh is a seventh-grader attending Lincoln Middle School in Pullman. Next year, his eighth -grade year, will be the last year he can participate in the spelling bee. As a fifth -grader in 2022, he won the regional bee – his first win – with the word “mortadella,” a type of sausage. In 2023 as a sixth -grader, he won the regional bee with the word “clearance.”

In second place this year was Rowan Thomas, a fourth -grader from Lena Whitmore Elementary School in Moscow. Third place was Alaina DeCaria, an eighth -grader from Prairie Elementary in Cottonwood. The ages of competitors this year ranged from eighth -grader DeCaria, to first -grader Emma Bolz, of Culdesac School.

As a first -place winner, Navtaj Singh will have travel and accommodations paid for to attend the Scripps National Spelling Bee. All top three winners received a trophy, medallion, certificate and numerous other prizes from sponsors St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, LCSC and the Lewiston Tribune.

At the end of the spelling bee, photos were taken by family members of the top three winners with their trophies, medallions and other awards, but no one took a selfie (correctly spelled by Ezra Lemanski, a fourth -grader from Camelot Elementary School).

During the competition, some of the words didn’t seem to bother (correctly spelled by DeCaria) the contestants and were quickly spelled. Sometimes the speller would look up or down, thinking about the word. Sometimes halfway through spelling, the contestant would realize they made a mistake and wanted to reconsider (correctly spelled by Jensyn Sheppard, a fifth -grader from Asotin Elementary), but the rules prevented spellers from changing their spelling. Just one letter in the wrong spot could lead to their ouster (correctly spelled by Macy McCrae, a fifth-grader from McGhee Elementary) from the competition.

Sometimes the words tested the parents who could be seen mulling over the words in their cranium (correctly spelled by second-place winner Thomas). For the excellent spellers, however, the complex words were suitable, (correctly spelled by Sage Pankey, a seventh -grader from Jenifer Middle School).

Despite the competition, the spellers’ attitude (correctly spelled by fifth -grader Felicity Snyder of Moscow Charter School) wasn’t contentious and the spellers treated each other amiably (correctly spelled by Yee Hong Hu, a seventh -grader from St. Mary’s Parish in Moscow). Family and friends in attendance applauded each speller, win or lose.