Three years of profound commitment and dedication paid off when Dev Shav, a 14-year-old from Largo, Fla., spelled “psammophile” at the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee held in Washington, D.C. on June 1. Seconds later, the stage was littered with confetti as he proudly hoisted his well-deserved champion’s trophy before the crowd and the millions watching on TV.
Dev’s tutor, Scott Remer, author of a series of textbooks that help students prepare for the competition, describes Dev as a hard worker, a very good student and someone who always asked good questions during tutoring sessions. “He’s very smart, so it was easy to teach him because he picked up new material very quickly.”
A Spelling Bee competitor since third grade, Dev’s performances in other national spelling bees resulted in both improvement and setbacks. He was ranked 51st in 2019 and 76th in 2021. However, in 2022 he did not make it to the national competition after losing regionals in his home state. Remer, 29, says it took Dev months to recover, but he eventually bounced back and recommitted to spelling.
After all, it was Dev’s resilience and perseverance that set him apart from other kids who would normally back down after a disappointing performance. “This victory is a testament to his hard work and commitment, and also to his love of language and intellect,” says Remer.
For three years, Dev and Remer, who lives in Somerville, Mass., met twice a week on Zoom. Remer explains that the training focused on learning vocabulary strategies and memorizing the rules of the different languages required for the competition. A large part of the class was quizzing and giving feedback when a word was misspelled. “It was a lot of repeating practice and training different skills,” says Remer.
Although Dev was Remer’s fourth National Spelling Bee champion, this year was even more special to him. It was the first time the coach could attend the competition in person, allowing him to meet Dev and his family and celebrate the victory together.
“As a tutor, you try not to play favorites, but over time you develop a special connection with some of your students and Dev’s definitely one of those,” says Remer. “He’s a really good person. I’m very proud he won.”
Remer says this victory has been Dev’s dream for a long time, so he imagines Dev must be enjoining all the attention and recognition that being a champion entails, including appearing on numerous TV shows. Last Tuesday, Dev returned home with his parents, a $50,000 cash prize and great pride in his well-deserved accomplishment.
Photo courtesy of Scott Remer
Dev Shah, 14, with his dad, Deval Shah (left), and tutor Scott Remer (right), after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition on June 1.