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demanding, uncompromising, and he tells her again and again' #;ur deepest %ear is that "e are po"er%ul beyond measure.# &his s by =CLA coach enry # 9ed # Sanders )) but since everybody thinks Lombardi said it, he "on, 7guess . &he saying is mistaken because to "in %or the "rong reason or in the "rong "ay is tolose. Something called sportsmanship is involved.

7n our "inning)obsessed culture, it is inspiring to see a young "oman like Akeelah Andersoninstinctively understand, "ith empathy and generosity, that doing the right thing involves morethan "inning. &hat$s "hat makes the %ilm particularly valuable %or young audiences. 7 don$t carei% they leave the theater "anting to spell better, but i% they have learned %rom Akeelah, they "ill"ant to live better.

Akeelah *+eke !almer is an eleven)year)old seventh grader at a black middle school in SouthLos Angeles$ Crensha" district. Although she has a best %riend, she %eels lonely and isolated atschool. er mother &anya *Angela Bassett "orks as a nurse and has her hands %ull. ;ne o% hersons is in the Air 1orce and the other is already in trouble on the streets. Akeelah$s %ather "asshot "hile coming home %rom "ork and died "hen she "as -ust si(.

At school, her teacher */alia !hillips reali es that Akeelah has a special gi%t %or spelling andencourages her to sign up %or the school$s spelling bee, a suggestion %urther encouraged by her

principal, 8r. Welch *Curtis Armstrong , "ho "ould love to have his poverty)stricken schoollook good in the district. But Akeelah doesn$t "ant to come across as a #brainiac# to herclassmates. And besides, she says, she doesn$t even like her school and doesn$t see "hy sheshould represent it. All this resistance is -ust masking her lo" sel%)esteem. But she does competeand easily "ins.

8r. Welch has invited /r. Larabee *Laurence 1ishburne , a pro%essor %rom =LCA and a %ormerspelling bee champ, to the event. e is impressed "ith Akeelah but, despite her "onder%ulmemory, he is not convinced that she has the discipline and creativity it takes to make it to thenationals in Washington /.C. =nimpressed "ith her street lingo and attitude, he turns her a"ay"hen she comes to him %or coaching. When he %inally agrees to "ork "ith her, he reali es "hat

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she really needs and asks her to read a %ramed