India Post News Service

ST. LOUIS: Sathwik Katragadda (11) a sixth-grader at Fort Zumwalt West Middle School in O'Fallon MO was declared as the winner of 22nd Annual Post-Dispatch/Maryville University Spelling Bee Contest in Saint Louis last week.He was declared winner after correctly spelling "propinquity" and "mitochondria". Last year Sathwik made it to fifth round of the regional competition. Now he will represent Saint Louis at the National Spelling Bee in Washington on May 29 and 30.

Venkat Katragadda and Sree, parents of Sathwik were present at the contest to support their son Sathwik. After the competition, last year's St. Louis winner, came over to congratulate Sathwik and his family. As the crowd applauded, Sathwik, walked around the stage, unsure of what to do as he tugged on the sign hanging from around his neck.

He managed a half smile, showing his braces.While Sathwik can spell many tongue-twisting, multisyllabic words, he relied on small ones to describe how he felt. He said he was "happy" and "excited."On Saturday, he beat 42 other metro-area students in nine grueling rounds. The Bee, held at Maryville University, lasted three hours. Out of 42 students, 13 belonged to Indian origin parents.