Schools

Words have meaning to Gulf junior

Alice Chang will participate in next month's National Vocabulary Championship.

By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer
Published February 29, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT [Jeff Solocheck | Times] Alice Chang, 15, of Odessa, is the only entrant from Florida in the March 10 vocabulary contest.

NEW PORT RICHEY - Inside her hefty backpack, loaded down with several pounds of textbooks, Gulf High junior Alice Chang keeps a slim red notebook that she's taken to filling with new words that she has learned.

She neatly pencils in each line, covering the front and back of each page with words and their meanings whenever one piques her interest. It's tough for the 15-year-old to pinpoint a favorite - "There are so many great words," she explains. "How could you pick?"

Since Alice can remember, she's been passionate about reading though not sci-fi or romance. It's how she spends her spare time.

That love of books and words has the potential to pay off big March 10, when Alice competes in the second annual National Vocabulary Championship in Los Angeles. She's the only participant from Florida in the 50-person contest, which promises a $40,000 college scholarship to the winner.

Truth be told, Alice confesses that she's surprised to have emerged from the 100,000 or so aspirants from across the country who sought to make the final cut, and she's "terrified" about taking part in the nationally Webcast event.

"Of course I want to do well," she says in her low-key way, which many mistake for a lack of communicativeness. "But if I don't, it would be pretty disappointing."

Her teachers in Gulf High's International Baccalaureate program believe Alice can go far. They look no further than their own experiences with the Odessa teen, who's ranked first academically among all Pasco County high school juniors.

English teacher Jan Ledman marvels at Alice's vocabulary, which she says "has always stunned her classmates and impressed her teachers."

In a recent writing assignment, for instance, Alice used the term "synecdoche" in analyzing a novel she read over the summer. That's a high-level grammar concept, one Ledman hadn't taught yet, and Alice used it correctly.

"She didn't spell it right," Ledman adds. "I was like, 'Oh, I get to teach you something.' That's a moment when we get to teach Alice Chang something she doesn't know."

And it's not just liberal arts where Alice excels.

Chemistry teacher Margaret Peek says she frequently asks Alice to backstop her own work. Peek likes to double check the textbook to make sure it has the correct answers in it. The other day she thought she caught an error, but she wasn't sure.

"When Alice got the same thing I got, I knew the book was wrong," Peek relates.

Math teacher Steve Griffith, who has taught for 20 years, calls Alice "the most intuitive math student I've ever had."

"Granted, I've caught her for a few points here and there," he says. "But the number of points she's lost (over three years of classes) would probably be less than 25."

In addition to her class work, Alice has won several county math tournaments, and she's a member of the county champion academic challenge team that's headed to state competition in the spring.

Her dad, Shoujin Zhang, says the family supports Alice's efforts, but does not insist that she push as hard as she does.

"She's probably the hardest working person I have known, just driven," Zhang says. "We have to pull her back constantly."

Alice doesn't see herself as anything but someone who seeks success and loves to learn. She observes that many teens don't take school seriously, something she deems "a little distressing, annoying." But that doesn't dissuade her.

"I don't have a coronary every time someone misuses affect and effect," she says dryly.

The National Vocabulary Contest will put contestants on the stage in groups of 10 to compete head-to-head, game-show style, in elimination rounds. The teens will have to answer 10 questions about some tough vocabulary words, and those who get the most correct move ahead.

The winner is expected to emerge after about 21/2 hours.

Alice, who has been skimming the dictionary and reviewing a book of word roots to prepare, says she plans to get all of her homework done in advance so she won't have it hanging over her head during the match. After the contest, she intends to visit several universities, including Stanford and Cal Tech, before returning home.

Deborah Lepley, the school's IB assistant principal, figures the world is open to Alice: "She's a walk-on at whatever university she wants."

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4614. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at blogs.tampabay.com/schools.

Want to watch?

The National Vocabulary Championship will be Webcast from Los Angeles at 12:30 p.m. March 10 on www.winwithwords.com .

[Last modified February 28, 2008, 21:34:25]