Whiz Kid: Meet Ashley Hong, Certified Spelling Expert

Do you know how to spell "success"? Ashley Hong sure does, and that's why she's our first Whiz Kid for Three Village Patch.

• Age: 12
• Hometown: South Setauket
• School:
• Favorite subject: Math
• Hobbies & interests: Playing lacrosse, studying violin, and traveling. Ashley recently visited family in Korea, where she enjoyed shopping and trying different types of food.
• Accomplishment: Ashley beat fellow seventh graders and many eighth graders to win Murphy's first-ever Spelling Bee in January.
• Ashley's Key to Awesomeness: Confidence. She admits she was nervous as she began to compete in the Spelling Bee, but says she grew less nervous as the contest continued. Her winning word? "Pyrite. It was easy compared to the other words," she said. "I didn't really think I was going to win, but I wanted to win." Ashley now gets the chance to take the Long Island Spelling Bee written test, and could move on to compete in the island-wide competition.

Congratulations, Ashley!

Do you know a great kid who made Eagle Scout, or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree.

Each week, Three Village Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual  kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to editor Christine Sampson. Be sure to include all of the following information: nominator's name and e-mail address, and the name, age, school, and accomplishment of the Whiz Kid. If your nominee is selected, we'll contact you and arrange a photo.