A New Berlin 8th grader finished as a Scripps National Spelling Bee semifinalist again this year.
"I just like the experience of going up there and competing. I find it fun," Ethan said.
Ethan Robert, a 13-year-old student at Eisenhower Middle and High School in New Berlin, tied for 30th place at the Scripps National Spelling Bee — his second consecutive year reaching the semifinals.
Watch: This 8th grader is making New Berlin proud on the national stage:
“Ethan, congratulations on another top finish. We are very proud,” said Dr. Kavya Shivashankar, head judge of the Scripps National Spelling Bee,
Students and staff at Eisenhower followed Ethan's progress throughout the competition.
“There’s a movement by students to keep teachers updated and keep tabs on Ethan and when he is going, and I have been in classrooms where students have told teachers stop what they are doing and to put it up on their boards," Principal Matthew Buckley said.
Ethan is already taking AP classes as an 8th grader, and Buckley said his standardized test scores are consistently among the highest at the school.
"He is going to top out all of our classes. He is just, he's brilliant," Buckley said. "He is inspirational.”
Ethan said his love of reading is what drives his spelling ability — not genetics. His parents say they are not strong spellers themselves.
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