Bowie Middle School eighth-grader Shijay Sivakumar tied for ninth place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night.
According a to Diya TV Twitter post, Sivakumar did not spell connaraceous correctly. According to Webster’s Dictionary, connaraceae, the plural of connaraceous, means a family of mostly tropical climbing shrubs or small trees.
Ector County ISD Chief Communications Officer Mike Adkins said Sivakumar would be recognized at the June board meeting.
Sivakumar has qualified for the national bee the last two years.
The winning word this year at the regional bee was ad hominem.
Joining Sivakumar this year is his sister, Shreeya, an 11-year-old fifth grader who attends Carver Center in Midland.
