Iolani student prevails in state spelling bee
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Matthew Won, 13, stood shivering in the air-conditioned KHON television studio and kept his hands tucked inside his jacket sleeves as he listened to what was to become the final word of the 15-round spelling bee.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
"Apoplexy."
Matthew Won, an Iolani School eighth-grader, won the state spelling bee on the word "apoplexy."
He pronounced each of the eight letters, turned from the cameras and stepped toward his seat, next to runner-up Kimberly Reinhold of Hilo, who had just misspelled "dermonecrotic."
Moderator Leslie Wilcox called him back to the microphone. The contest was over.
Won, an Iolani School eighth grader, had bested 13 of the top spellers in the state to become Hawai'i's state champion. A shy smile tugged at his lips as he realized he had taken the title.
"Ms. Evans helped a lot," he said as he received his honors and prizes.
Won's mother, Angie Won, held a tissue against her face and looked overwhelmed as Leslie Evans, Won's English teacher, and the other parents led her forward to congratulate her son.
"I can't believe it," she kept whispering into her hand.
Her son will represent Hawai'i in the national spelling bee in Washington in May, a trip sponsored by The Honolulu Advertiser. There, he will compete against the top spellers in the country.
Matthew Won is a writer who hopes to someday publish a science fiction or fantasy novel.
