Spelling Bee Champ: Kindergartner Kazim Ali Makes History

Six-year-old Kazim Ali became the first kindergartner to win the spelling bee at a grammar school in South Jordan, Utah, defeating children several years older, area news outlet KUTV reported. No kindergartner had even made it past the first round, one educator said. At an age when most kids are learning one-syllable words, Kazim, who actually spells at a seventh-grade level, was practicing on words such as “anthropomorphic,” according to the segment above. He clinched the third-grade-and-under division at Eastlake Elementary with the word “sapphire.” This kid is pure spelling gold. He would like to someday win the National Spelling Bee “because you get a lot of money .. and a big trophy.” It could happen sooner than many of us might think. In 2012, Lori Anne Madison, 6, became the youngest entrant to qualify for the big event.