Schools

Deer Path Middle School Speller's Inspirational Words Come from Music Teacher

Focus on studying pays off; Banta advances to Lake County Finals.

The best advice received about Wednesday night's Lake County Sectional Spelling Bee actually came from his music teacher at

"I have a music teacher (Jean Hersey) who went to nationals (the National Spelling Bee), and she told me, 'You gotta study', so it's become an obsession for me," Banta said. "So, I was like, 'Alright, I'll study'. And it paid off. A lot."

Banta, a seventh grader, was the last of four participants to advance from the Sectional after he spelled the word, qwerty, correctly. He joined Grace Chiou from , Pranav Sivakumar from and Pranav Guru from in Deerfield.

Find out what's happening in Lake Forest-Lake Bluffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The quartet will compete with eight other sectional qualifiers at the Lake County finals on March 14 at College of Lake County in Grayslake.

Wednesday night boiled down to Banta and Jonah Hirsch from Alan B. Sherpard Middle School in Deerfield. When Hirsch missed his word, the door opened for Banta to emerge after nine rounds of spelling.

Find out what's happening in Lake Forest-Lake Bluffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I use the computer a lot, so I figured out the word," Banta said.

The nearly three-hour competition is a test a nerves for contestants ranging in age from 11 to 13. Banta was situated around the middle of the 44 participants who rose from their seats on a stage at South Park School in Deerfield and  used a variety of means to successfully spelling out words, including imaginary writing of the word on their hand or name placard.

"I was a little bored at the beginning and more nervous toward the end," Banta said, noting the difference as the competitive field narrowed. "I felt great when I got the last word right."

His metoric rise is in stark contrast to a year ago when he was eliminated in the second round of the school spelling contest at Deer Path.

Now that the stakes have grown, Banta asked Gary Pickens, assistant regional superintendent of schools for Lake County who assisted in running the event, what he should study for the Lake County finals.

"Keep using your word list and stuff you get online," Pickens said. "Use any other sources you can find, too. You're out in the gray area now. Just keep using the lists you have. You'll do alright."

For more news and updates from Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch, "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here