North Haven Public School student Brock Holliday would rather read the dictionary than any other novel on offer.
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“I love the dictionary,” he said.
“It has lots of useful definitions.”
The 11-year-old’s passion for words has helped him make it through to the state final of the Premier’s Spelling Bee in Sydney.
Brock went to the regional final in Forster on Tuesday, September 4 along with 29 other students from a number of schools.
It was the third time Brock had made it to the regional finals and while he said he was a bit nervous, he kept calm.
In the final round Brock and another student and were tested for words which were unseen by them.
Brock was asked to spell ‘marquee’ which he got correct. The other student was asked to spell ‘catamaran’ which he got incorrect. Brock was then declared the winner of the regional final.
Academic excellence for spelling is a trait which runs in the family, as Brock’s older brother Zane has also experienced success at spelling bees.
Some of Brock’s favourite words include ‘cesspool’, ‘dynasty’ and ‘surveillance’.
Brock also enjoys reading the atlas and encyclopedias, where he can educate himself on facts about the world.
The Premier’s Spelling Bee was introduced in 2004 as a fun and educational way for primary school students to engage in spelling.
Regional finals take place at many schools across NSW between September 3 and 14.
The state final is at the Eugene Goossens Hall in Ultimo, on Friday, November 2.
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