Evan O'Dorney, a 13-year-old from Danville, Calif., became the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion last night. His winning word was "serrefine" -- a noun describing small forceps used for approximating the edges of a wound -- which he successfully spelled after a long, tense final showdown with Nate Gartke of Spruce Grove, Alberta. Gartke had hoped to become the first Canadian to win the bee. more ›

Today a select group of the world's wordiest tweens take the stage at the annual lexicon smackdown known as the National Spelling Bee. Almost 300 students will spend the next two days at the Grand Hyatt on H St. competing in written and oral tests of their spelling skills, culminating in Thursday's final round, to be aired nationwide on ABC. The Examiner has a profile of one of the circuit's best-known competitors, facing his final shot at the brass ring this year. Like Samir Patel, many of the bee's most serious contenders are home schooled, including my all-time favorite word wizard, Rebecca Sealfon, shown above in a moment of pure spellation winning the 1997 bee. more ›

What's on your radar? Here's what we've got: more ›