Tulare 14-year-old to compete against nation's top spellers in D.C

TULARE, Califonia -- Sitting in a classroom at Cherry Avenue Middle School, seventh-grader Joey Barnett listened to a word carefully.

"Kwashiorkor," said the 14-year-old's teacher, Cindy Neelands.

"What's the root?" Barnett asked.

"Ghana," she replied.

With that, Barnett hesitated, and then spelled the word wrong, putting an extra "k" in it. It was a word many, including Barnett, had never heard before. Kwashiorkor is a severe disease in young children, caused by a protein deficiency.

Today, Barnett will board a plane with his father and stepmother bound for Washington, D.C., where he will compete in the National Spelling Bee against 251 top spellers from across the country.

It's one thing to be the top speller in Tulare County, but it's another to be the top speller in America.

"I was excited," Barnett said. "But now I'm nervous. Well,