Orchard Lake

OLR student hopes to spell victory at regional bee

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by Andrew Potter Andrew Ameen, a seventh-grader from Our Lady of Refuge School in Orchard Lake, sits by his spelling bee awards and study materials with his father, Amir. Andrew recently won his school’s spelling bee and has been studying for the regional spelling bee. Photo by Andrew Potter Andrew Ameen, a seventh-grader from Our Lady of Refuge School in Orchard Lake, sits by his spelling bee awards and study materials with his father, Amir. Andrew recently won his school’s spelling bee and has been studying for the regional spelling bee.

Sometimes “plaid” can make a statement. Other times it can win a spelling bee.

Seventh-grader Andrew Ameen of West Bloomfield recited the five letters correctly last month to win the all-school spelling bee at Our Lady of Refuge School in Orchard Lake. Andrew earned the top prize after besting 11 other competitors who won among their classes at the school.

Now Andrew is studying for a March 11 regional spelling bee in Waterford. If he wins, he could compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “It seems like a really good experience for me. … I want to know more about the world, and I like a new challenge in my life.”

Andrew, 12, said he is not new to spelling bees — he said he earned a trophy for taking second place at Our Lady of Refuge when he was a fifth-grader.

Right now, Andrew said he is trying to study as much as he can by memorizing tricky words, like “waywiser,” off printed worksheets. While he acknowledged that some of the words are tougher, he said he is getting ready to take on the next level.

He shared some of the tips he uses to maximize his success when he is up at the microphone. “When I’m asked to spell the word, I ask for the meaning and to (make the reader) use it in a sentence, so I have time to think about how to spell it,” he said.

Sixth-grade teacher Nancy Karlowicz has had Andrew as a student and called him a well-prepared hard worker who has participated in the spelling bee every year he has been eligible. She said she could not recall any Our Lady of Refuge student ranking among the top at the regional level so far. “The highest that I recall has been that a student placed 10th,” she said.

Andrew’s father, Amir Ameen, said Andrew has had a knack for spelling since he was little. He said he’s very proud of his son. “Whatever he does, he does it 110 percent,” he said. “We have nothing but good things to say about him.”

As a straight-A student, Andrew has more on his mind than just words. “I want to be the president of the United States when I grow up,” he said.

Our Lady of Refuge School is located at 3750 Commerce Road in Orchard Lake. To learn more about the school, call (248) 682-3422.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.