Beau's officially the best of them all

Beau Mounter displaying the medal (and smile) of a national spelling champion. Photo / supplied

Ingredient. Significance. Restaurant. Refrigerator. Bought.

Those words would challenge some adult spellers, but to seven-year-old Beau Mounter they're child's play.

Getting them, and a host of other tricky words, right the Kerikeri Primary School pupil the highest score of any Year 3 student in New Zealand in the annual ICAS Spelling Bee assessment, an achievement that has been recognised with a medal. It would normally have been presented in person by the competition's Australia-based organisers, but due to the Covid pandemic a virtual ceremony will take place early in the New Year instead.

Beau's teachers describe him as an avid speller, whose Christmas request is a spelling app to continue building his vocabulary and spelling ability.

Proud mum Kate Mounter said Beau was still considering his future career path, but being a marine biologist, designer or engineer all appealed to him.

It may be that spelling is in his blood- his great-grandfather, Robert Dunn, was a Whangārei-based journalist who started working at the Northern Advocate at the age of 15. He eventually became editor, and retired in the 1960s.

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) competitions are carried out online in 20 countries, and cover a range of subjects for students in Year 3 and up. They are designed to recognise and reward academic excellence.