Backstage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, host LeVar Burton introduced speller 183, North Carolinian Riya Anumakonda, to a new word.
“Have you ever heard anyone call it North Cackalacky?” he asked. “It’s a term of affection, and I won’t ask you to spell it.”
Riya had not, but that didn’t seem to matter. Before the Semifinals, she said she was hoping to get Burton’s autograph. Not only did he sign something to her, “So proud of you! Peace & Blessings,” but she filmed a segment with the former Reading Rainbow host and took a family picture.
“I’m feeling thrilled because all my teachers in North Carolina, they adore LeVar Burton,” Riya said. “He was really funny and he was easy to be around.”
Riya, who was eliminated from the Bee in the word meaning round, said she was proud of herself for getting as far as she did. Burton told the sixth grader he hoped to see her next year.
“Even in defeat, she has the biggest smile in the world,” he said.
“You must be proud of her,” he told Riya’s parents. “I just met her, and I’m proud of her.”
Burton watched the competition backstage with his wife, Stephanie Cozart Burton. “Yessss!” he said when speller 224, Graham Woodruff, got a word meaning question correct. He congratulated spellers on their efforts after they were eliminated, shaking hands and chatting with spellers as they walked offstage.
Cozart Burton said participating in the spelling bee was a dream of hers as a kid, but it was never presented as an opportunity when she was growing up in Indiana.
“I kind of wonder how if I’d been encouraged, what would have happened,” she said. “Because spelling was my wheelhouse when I was a kid, it will always hold interest for me.”
She said she’s been impressed by the spellers’ efforts, by their stoicism through the competition and their bravery in going onstage to compete. The mother in her, she said, wants to tell them it will all be OK, even when they get out.
“I had to hand one a tissue,” she said.
Cozart Burton said she’s a fan of the word meaning round, which she said expands what spellers are learning.
While some words that viewers know have been missed by spellers – like the fish, "branzino" – she said exposure makes a difference in what words students know.
“It depends on what your life exposure is,” she said. “A lot of what you learn is through living. ... It’s chance and luck, on top of preparedness.”
Cozart Burton said she was looking forward to watching the finals on Thursday.
“It gives me hope – this is our next generation,” she said. “Anything that celebrates excellence, I’m here for it. The Bee represents the best of the best.”