Gifted/Talented students do many exciting and educational projects outside their normal daily classroom work. Raisa Nguyen, an intermediate student at Park View Intermediate, went to Washington D.C. this past summer for the National Spelling Bee Competition. The following is a look at her experience.

Houston Chronicle Spelling Bee Champion, Park View Intermediate student Raisa Nguyen, has returned from the National Spelling Bee Competition victorious in more ways than one.  

Nguyen made it to the final round of the contest, placing 26th out of 250 contestants.  Though Nguyen did not place first in the Washington, D.C. competition, she was ecstatic about her experience, knowing that it is on the will last a lifetime. 

"Raisa will never forget this trip," said her mother, Theresita Nguyen.  "In my mind, she was victorious in so many ways.  She not only did excellent in the competition; she learned many things about herself.  The stressful situation forced her to learn to keep herself composed and calm.  She managed her nerves and performed very well.

"Raisa's hard work and studies paid off when she correctly spelled "diablerie" in the first round, passed round two, which was the written round, and then correctly spelled "vitrescible" in round three.  It was the fourth round that Raisa and her fans would see her final outcome.  She was eliminated when she misspelled "pesade, replacing the second letter with an "a" instead of the correct "e." 

"I had studied that word before," said Raisa.  "I knew that the second letter was either an "a" or an "e," but I was not 100 percent sure.  I guess that I just chose the wrong one.  I guess that that is what happens when you study thousands of words.

"The winner of nationals, which was a young boy from India, won by spelling the word "prosticience."

"After I was eliminated, I watched the final competition and was spelling all of the words along with the other competitors," said Raisa.  "I got them all correct!  I could even spell 'prosticience.'  If only I didn't get stumped by 'pesade,' I might be the winner."

The trip to the National Spelling Bee Competition was not all spelling though.  Nguyen was accompanied by her mother, brother, Park View English Teacher and spelling coach Barbara Mikulik, and Park View Intermediate Assistant Principal Carolyn Waller.  During the first two days, they visited sites such as the Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt Memorials, and even had the opportunity to see Mt. Vernon.

"Other than those few site visits, we just stayed in the hotel, studying and relaxing," said Raisa.  "It was nice to be in Washington, but it was also nice to have relaxation time after the school year."

After a school year of high TAAS scores, straight A's in honors classes and honor roll achievement, Raisa's relaxation and vacation was well deserved."She is an extremely dedicated young lady," said Park View Principal Rob Hasson.  "Academics are her top priority, and the spelling bee has been a major priority as well. It is rare that you find someone who is so determined.  Congratulations to her, her family, and her accomplishments."