His mom says, ‘To watch him really put in the hours and every year to get more serious, I just really admire him.’
Oliver Sullivan McRae Halkett, 12, attends the private Mirman School on Mulholland Drive overlooking the Valley, and launched the school’s newspaper 3 years ago — at age 9. Now he is participating in the 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee in Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Oliver is taking his books filled with words with him to Maryland, ready for a contest that involves 244 other students from across the country and around the world. In nearby Thousand Oaks, Ibrahim Zaki, 13, who attends Golden Valley Charter School, is the only student from Ventura County to win a spot at the Scripps spelling bee.
The toughest word he ever had to spell — although he says his parents would disagree — was “eleemosynary,” which means charitable. “This started when he was in second grade, and we realized he had this uncanny talent to break down words,” said Oliver’s mother, Elizabeth Currid-Halkett. “To see that initial talent, that I don’t possess in any way, and to watch him really put in the hours and every year to get more and more serious … I just really admire him.”
“Follow what you think it is,” is Oliver’s advice about competing in a spelling bee. “You have to doubt yourself sometimes, but if you think you know a word you’re probably right. Follow your gut and consistently study … make sure you want to do it, have fun and trust yourself.”
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