Who knew the word "gingham" would mean so much to St. Michael School Grade 7 student Dakota Thiel?

Thiel participated in the CanWest CanSpell Spelling Bee Regional Final in Regina on Saturday. He was able to correctly spell "gingham" to win the spelling bee for a berth in the CanWest CanSpell National Spelling Bee in Ottawa in May.

"It felt kind of strange and I got jumpy during the orientation. I felt the nerves," Thiel said about the experience.

At first Thiel knew that "gingham" was on the study sheet given to him, but he couldn't remember how to spell it. He give it his best shot and was correct. Happiness and excitement overtook him after he realized he had won the competition.

For winning the regional spelling bee, Thiel won a berth in the National CanWest CanSpell Spelling Bee in Ottawa, and the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. He will also receive $3,000 in Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), distributed on the basis of $1,000 per year for three years.

If Thiel goes on to win the National CanWest CanSpell Spelling Bee, he would be eligible for a RESP of $10,000. He will have the opportunity to receive the CanWest CanSpell Cup, which will be donated to the school for display and he could receive the Winner's Trophy.

In order to win the national spelling bee, Thiel realizes that he will have to study more as the competition is going to be harder and the words are going to be tougher to spell.

To qualify for the regional competition, Thiel first qualified through a school-wide spelling bee and a district qualifier bee.