Category: Spelling Bee

Zaila and the Bee

Commentary By any standard, Zaila Avant-garde is a remarkable 14-year-old girl with a positive and compelling outlook on life. Avant-garde (her father reportedly changed her surname from Heard in honor of jazz legend John Coltrane) recently won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, the first African American to win the highly competitive spelling contest. She told reporters…


Spelling Bee Champ Zaila Avant-Garde Offered Full Scholarship to LSU

By Joseph Wilkinson From New York Daily News From bee to tiger? National Spelling Bee winner Zaila Avant-Garde was offered a full scholarship to LSU on Saturday. University president William Tate tweeted the offer to 14-year-old Zaila, who lives in the New Orleans suburb of Harvey just 90 minutes down the road from Baton Rouge…