KIHEI >> A strong drive to succeed — and Tongan pride — is fueling Simione Olakauatu’s run to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will hold virtual preliminaries on Saturday.
The 13-year-old Lokelani Intermediate student and son of Tongan immigrants is the 2021 Hawaii State Spelling Bee champion and one of 209 youths competing in the national contest.
Like most other events over the past year, the venerable Scripps National Spelling Bee had to adjust to public health restrictions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The competition was canceled last year, and this year, Scripps developed an online testing platform as an option to in-person or virtual bees.
When Simione participates in Saturday’s first round — which coincides with his 14th birthday — he will do so at his Kihei school in the presence of a proctor. Although Simione admits he is relieved he won’t have to spell out words while standing on a stage in front of a crowd and fellow competitors, it’s not for lack of confidence.
“Growing up I didn’t know what having an ‘F’ feels like,” he said. “I’ve always been an ‘A-B’ student.”
Simione’s favorite subject is math, and when asked why he decided to enter the state spelling bee, he replied: “Not that many people from my country go big, and it motivates me.”
Simione has four sisters and three brothers. His father, Haukuomole Olakauatu, is disabled and his mother, Ofa, works as a housekeeper at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach. She called her son a self-starter and fast learner who needs no encouragement to finish his homework, usually on the same day it’s assigned.
“Every time he comes and tell me, ‘Mom, I’m going to try and get an ‘A’ on this subject,’” Ofa Olakauatu said.
“It’s funny because every time if he goes to the kitchen or outside he also carries his laptop to study. Even when he eats and I say, ‘Can you leave your laptop,’ he cannot eat without it.”
She said she was surprised when his homeroom teacher suggested he participate in the Hawaii State Spelling Bee, which was held in March.
“I was laughing because Simione says, ‘I’m smart,’ and sometimes we don’t believe our kids,” she chuckled.
There was quite a different reaction when the family received an email notifying them Simione had won the state bee with the highest score on the timed online test, and would be representing Hawaii at the national level.
“When I was reading the email that he won, we just look at each other and my husband was crying,” Olakauatu said.
Simione’s family celebrated his achievement at a May 28 graduation party for his older brother, Hookipa Sakalia, a football star and honor student who just graduated from Lahainaluna and signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Montana-Western.
Simione said he wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps and play football for the Lunas.
Lokelani Principal Francoise Bell said the school community is “really proud of him, beyond proud.”
“Simione has a great personality, a lot of positive energy,” she said. “He’s just a bright light, even with everything going on this year. The kids, they’re not as energetic as they normally are, and he was always positive, always looking at the glass half full. He’s just a pleasure to talk to and be around, and his family as well.”
In preparation for Saturday’s national preliminaries, Simione has been studying more than 4,000 words from the Scripps study guide, website and app, in addition to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
The June 15 quarterfinals and June 27 semifinals also will be held virtually. The final rounds with the remaining 10 to 12 spellers will be hosted in person July 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla., and broadcast live on ESPN2.
The champion will receive a $50,000 cash prize.
The upheaval in education caused by the pandemic also reduced the number of schools that usually participate in the Hawaii State Spelling Bee from nearly 100 to just 28 this year, according to contest coordinator and volunteer Jennifer Yang. The local program additionally suffered the loss of sponsors and other vital support.
Only with the help of “a group of caring individuals with great heart and dedication” were the local bees able to continue, Yang said. A “Just Spell It!” fundraiser for the Hawaii State Spelling Bee is planned for July 13.
Spelling success
2021 Hawaii State Spelling Bee district winners
>> Michaela Alcaraz, grade 8, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School
>> Micah Bahr, grade 7, American Renaissance Academy
>> Rachael Bandy, grade 8, Iao Intermediate School
>> Navarro Dondur, grade 5, Jefferson Elementary School
>> Elaine Henrie, grade 8, American Renaissance Academy
>> Bryony Jackson, grade 5, Jefferson Elementary School
>> Emi Nakashima, grade 6, Hongwanji Mission School
>> Simione Olakauatu*, grade 8, Lokelani Intermediate School
>> Louis Perroy, grade 8, Hilo Intermediate School
>> Johnny Salud, grade 7, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School
>> Joe Sarji, grade 7, St. Anthony School
>> Kathryn Son, grade 7, Hilo Intermediate School
*2021 Hawaii State Spelling Bee champion
‘Just Spell It!’
An adult team- building experience/fundraiser for Hawaii State Spelling Bee:
>> Where: WorkPlay, Kakaako
>> When: 4 to 6 p.m. July 13
>> Cost: $300 to reserve room for 10; $150 for table of five
>> Info/registration: Email hawaii statespellingbee@gmail.com
