Local Boy Takes First Place in Aurora School Spelling Bee

AURORA, IL — An Oswego resident and Aurora student recently took first place in his school’s spelling bee.

Nicholas De Leon, a 9-year-old student at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Aurora, won the bee, competing against students from first grade up to eighth grade.

De Leon’s winning word was vigorously.

In an email to Patch, the boy’s mother, Maria De Leon, said her son winning the bee is a big deal for Asians in the community.

“Being a minority in America, this is big deal to Asians like us. Not only does this promote diversity in the community, it also brings forth awareness about being different; that being unique such as one’s race is not a disorder,” she said. ”We are all created equal and education does not pick colors or even grade level.”

For Nicholas, the win was something he hoped for, but wasn’t sure he would get.

“He was extremely nervous before and during the spelling bee but when he won, which was totally unexpected but hoped for, the smile on his face and his stance, was priceless,” his mother said.

All OLGC students participated in classroom spelling bees. The top two spellers from each grade then went on to the school spelling bee. De Leon will now move on to the area-wide spelling bee.

The school’s spelling bee runner-up was fourth grade student Mesoma Akpuowke.