Forest Hills Student Spelling For All The Marbles

Tonight at 8:30 p.m., Forest Hills resident Arvind Manhakali, 11, will make a bid to be the best speller in the nation. The Scripps National Spelling Bee, an annual educational competition that captivates the sporting world for two days, pits children from across the country against each other in a test to see who is the master of the alphabet.

Arvind, a student, spent Thursday morning breezing his way through the semifinals, correctly spelling chresard, palynology, guttula and epigonism to secure himself a spot in the final 13.

The tested words in this year’s competition are no joke, as years of studying and intense competition has pushed each competitor to new heights.

This is Arvind’s second year in the competition, but it will be his first time on the stage as a finalist.

Arvind’s mother, Bhavani Mahankali, said her family is extremely excited that her son has had such monumental success so far.

“He’s worked very hard, and right now his patience is paying off,” she said in an interview as Arvind was eating dinner and preparing for Thursday night’s big finale.

“Arvind is confident that he’s going to perform well in the finals,” Bhavani said. “He’s very proud and very excited to be there.”

Despite the intense fanfare and the national audience, Bhavani admitted that her son is good at putting all the distractions in the rearview mirror and concentrating on the words in front of him.

“For the most part he’s taking it all in stride,” she said. “There’s no guarantee that he’s going to finish as champ.”

Tune in tonight at 8:30 on ESPN to watch Arvind represent New York City and Forest Hills in his quest for spelling bee glory.