WILLIAMSVILLE, NY — Saheb Sarkar is an 11-year-old middle schooler at Mill Middle School, who bested 70 other spellers at the Corning Rotary Regional Spelling Bee in early March.
Sarkar is now moving to the national stage at the end of May, competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Sarkar's teachers and family says achieving this accomplishment is nothing short of what Sarkar is capable of.
"Saheb is a natural. I was not terribly surprised when he won the regional bee," said Randy Gammiero, a Gifted Programming Specialist at Mill Middle School.
Gammiero says he leaves the prep work to Sarkar and his parents, who practice spelling words like palliative, revolutionary, and hobbledehoy for up to two hours a night.
"When we walk, we talk about spelling, and when I cook, we talk about spelling. When I fold and do laundry, we talk about things, and it is like going back and forth between him and me," said Sukanya Basu, Saheb's mother.
Saheb's father, Debanjan Sarkar, says he could not be more proud of his son.
"It's not really surprising he has reached this far because he has always been a perfectionist, and whatever he puts his mind to, he does it perfectly. We are really excited he has reached this level, and we are very proud of him," said Debanjan.
Sarkar says competing on the national stage reminds him of his piano recitals, so he is more than prepared for the pressure.
"I have been on stage for piano recitals and stuff, so it kind of taught me how to keep my cool a little bit," said Saheb.
Saheb will join more than 200 spellers at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Washington D.C. on May 28th to begin the "Bee Week."
