By KWMU / AP
St. Louis, MO – A boy from Chesterfield made it through four rounds of the National Spelling Bee in Washington on Wednesday.
Rajiv Tarigopula, who finished fourth last year, has so far correctly spelled Philomel, totemism, and sporran.
He goes to Sperreng Middle School and is in his fourth and final National Spelling Bee. If he makes it to the final round, St. Louisans will be able to watch his spelling during a live broadcast tonight (Thursday) on ABC.
Tarigopula is one of seven Missourians and 13 Illinoisans who were competing in the bee; many of them were eliminated Wednesday. The contest features fourth through eighth graders.
The winner gets $37,000 in cash and prizes. Last year, Tarigopula got $2,000 for his fourth place finish. He had finished in 48th and 16th places in his first two tries.