Zaila Avant-garde won the national spelling
bee, but that wasn’t her first real victory
By The Undefeated, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.11.21
Word Count 442
Level 590L
Zaila Avant-garde, age 14, from Harvey, Louisiana, celebrates with the championship trophy after winning the finals of the 2021 Scripps
National Spelling Bee at Disney World on July 8, 2021, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Photo: John Raoux/AP
Zaila Avant-garde is a talented 14-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana. In July 2021, she won the
Scripps National Spelling Bee championship. Zaila is the first Black American winner in the bee's
96-year history. Her winning word was "Murraya." A murraya is a kind of tree. It is named after
scientist Johan Andreas Murray.
The word reminded her of the actor, Bill Murray. He was in a movie that Zaila liked to listen to the
soundtrack of when she was younger. So she asked the judges: "Does this word contain the English
name 'Murray,' which could be the name of a comedian?"
The root of the word was indeed the name Murray, a judge said. Zaila then quickly spelled the
word and won the bee!
Zaila became famous following her big win. Here are a few facts about her:
She's Home-Schooled
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
Zaila's been home-schooled her whole life. She likes it because it fits in with her busy schedule. It
also means she can be with her parents. Her grandfather has even given her lessons. He used to
teach physics to college students. He taught her math and science for six to nine hours a week.
She's A World-Record Holder
Zaila holds three Guinness World Records titles. These are for:
1. Most bounced balls juggled in one minute. Zaila juggled four balls.
2. Most basketball bounces in 30 seconds. Zaila bounced four basketballs.
3. Most basketballs dribbled at the same time by one person. Zaila dribbled six.
She Studied And Prepared For The Bee With Other Scripps Finalists
By the end of the contest, Zaila was up against Chaitra Thummala. Chaitra is a 12-year-old from
Frisco, Texas. She misspelled her last word. That made her the runner-up.
The two girls knew each other before the bee. They both have the same tutor, 20-year-old Cole
Shafer-Ray. He was the 2015 Scripps runner-up. Zaila and Chaitra practiced together before the
bee.
Making It To The WNBA Would Be Cool, But …
Zaila dreams of playing professional basketball. She hopes to make it to the Women's National
Basketball Association. The league is called WNBA, for short. She wants to play for the Minnesota
Lynx someday.
Zaila says winning the bee is cooler than making it to the WNBA. She spent many hours preparing.
Every day, she practiced spelling around 13,000 words. She said that takes about seven hours. She
has been focusing on spelling for the past two years.
Zaila has many goals. Besides playing in the WNBA, Zaila hopes to go to Harvard. She wants to be
a coach for the National Basketball Association. She also wants to be a scientist for NASA.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
Quiz
1
2
Which sentence from the article states a MAIN idea of the entire article?
(A)
Zaila Avant-garde is a talented 14-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana.
(B)
He taught her math and science for six to nine hours a week.
(C)
Zaila holds three Guinness World Record titles.
(D)
Zaila and Chaitra practiced together before the bee.
The main idea of the section “Making It To The WNBA Would Be Cool, But . . . ” is that Zaila Avant-garde works hard to reach
her dreams.
Which key detail from the section supports the section’s main idea?
3
4
(A)
Zaila dreams of playing professional basketball.
(B)
Zaila says winning the bee is cooler than making it to the WNBA.
(C)
Every day, she practiced spelling around 13,000 words.
(D)
She also wants to be a scientist for NASA.
How did winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee affect Zaila Avant-garde?
(A)
She met Cole Shafer-Ray after she won.
(B)
She became famous after she won.
(C)
She got into Harvard after she won.
(D)
She focused on spelling after she won.
According to the section "She's Home-Schooled," why does Zaila like being home-schooled?
(A)
She has more time to practice basketball.
(B)
She can watch more movies at home.
(C)
She gets to practice with other spellers.
(D)
She can fit school in with her busy schedule.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.