While five-time repeater Sriram Hathwar was a familiar name entering the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee, eventual co-champion Ansun Sujoe came in with a bit less fanfare. Even still, his sponsor at Texas Christian University's College of Education knew they had a speller who could compete for the title.
"I knew from talking with him that he was highly dedicated to studying for the Bee, and he maintained composure while competing," said Dr. Jan Lacina, Professor of Literacy and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies - College of Education at TCU. "With the amount of studying and dedication he had in preparing for the Bee, I knew he would do very well in the Scripps National Spelling Bee."
A regional sponsor since 2011, TCU's College of
Education has 471 participating schools in their area, and interest is growing
after Ansun's championship performance.
"Soon after the National Finals and Ansun's win,
a couple of school coordinators contacted me with questions about preparing for
the 2015 Bee," Lacina said. "I think his win will renew greater interest in the
spelling bee competition at our regional bee and local communities."
That's great news for TCU's College of
Education, who values hosting the spelling bee as a component of literacy
instruction. As Lacina reports, "spelling instruction contributes to vocabulary
knowledge, and helps children develop English literacy skills that will benefit
them their entire lives."
"TCU's College of Education is honored to serve
as a sponsor for a regional Scripps National Spelling Bee," Lacina
said. "We value the experience of working to support our local and
regional schools, and we especially enjoy supporting the children from these
schools."