St. Mark's Eighth Grader Wins National Spelling Bee
On Thursday afternoon May 29, 2003, St. Mark's School of Texas 8th grader, Sai Gunturi, won the 76th Annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee at Grand Hyatt in downtown Washington, D.C. The 2003 Bee was Sai’s fourth trip to the national competition, having tied for seventh place in 2002, tied for 16th place in 2001, and tied for 32nd place in 2000. The Dallas eighth grader spelled the word “pococurante” to win the nationally televised competition. Gunturi was awarded $12,000 in cash and several other prizes for winning the bee.
Gunturi, a resident of Plano just north of Dallas, recently completed his eighth grade year as a student at St. Mark's School of Texas, a non-sectarian independent school in Dallas with an enrollment of just over 800 boys in grades one through twelve. The school’s Headmaster Arnie Holtberg said, “We are all incredibly proud of Sai for this remarkable accomplishment. His achievement represents the very best of what our school stands for, giving boys the tools and opportunities to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be.”
Gunturi’s win gives the nearly 100-year old St. Mark’s its third national championship in the last twelve months, having had three members of last year’s graduating class win national academic and athletic recognition in 2002. Michael Martin, now a freshman at Dartmouth College, and Josh Branson, now a freshman at Northwestern University, together won the 2002 National High School Debate Tournament last June in Charlotte, NC. Peter Lynch, now a freshman at University of Pennsylvania, won the individual Junior National Rowing Championship last July in Princeton, NJ before going on the World Championships in Lithuania.
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Gunturi, a resident of Plano just north of Dallas, recently completed his eighth grade year as a student at St. Mark's School of Texas, a non-sectarian independent school in Dallas with an enrollment of just over 800 boys in grades one through twelve. The school’s Headmaster Arnie Holtberg said, “We are all incredibly proud of Sai for this remarkable accomplishment. His achievement represents the very best of what our school stands for, giving boys the tools and opportunities to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be.”
Gunturi’s win gives the nearly 100-year old St. Mark’s its third national championship in the last twelve months, having had three members of last year’s graduating class win national academic and athletic recognition in 2002. Michael Martin, now a freshman at Dartmouth College, and Josh Branson, now a freshman at Northwestern University, together won the 2002 National High School Debate Tournament last June in Charlotte, NC. Peter Lynch, now a freshman at University of Pennsylvania, won the individual Junior National Rowing Championship last July in Princeton, NJ before going on the World Championships in Lithuania.
St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
