Merun Subhas’ eyes light up when he chats about spelling and math. The 9-year-old Bothell boy’s voice also oozes with excitement when swimming, singing and dancing swing into the conversation.

The Shelton View Elementary third-grader is a well-rounded child, said his mother, Meena Pandian.

“Whatever he does, he’s pretty good. I think it’s inborn,” added his father, Arun Subhas, a programmer at Microsoft. The family, originally from Chennai, India, has lived in Bothell for seven years.

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) recently honored Merun as one of the top young students in the nation after he shone on a rigorous, above-grade-level SCAT test given online to second- through eighth-grade students.

He was one of more than 50,000 students worldwide who participated in the CTY Talent Search; only 25 to 30 percent of students who participated were honored.

“We are so proud of our CTY Talent Search honorees for their exceptional performance on these tests and we are thrilled to take this moment to recognize them for their academic achievements,” said Elaine Tuttle Hansen, executive director of CTY, based in Baltimore, Md.

“Students aren’t the only ones who deserve this recognition, she added. “Our students wouldn’t be who they are today without the parents and educators who have worked so hard to help them develop their talents.”

Merun said that math is “challenging and fun,” and would like to work in the engineering field when he grows up. He recently placed first in the North Sound Foundation math bee in Seattle, and then finished in the top 20 at nationals in San Jose, Calif.

Pandian noted that Merun participated in the Bear Creek Elementary gifted program as a second-grader — under the tutelage of Stacey Robb — and transferred to Shelton View to continue his studies.

“Merun was a bright and inquisitive student in second grade. He loved learning,” Robb said.

“Merun shows a strong ability to process math mentally. He has been working two years above his grade level all year long. It continues to amaze me that he is so accurate on unit tests,” said Shelton View EAP (Elementary Advanced Program) teacher Sallie Hartman.

“He understands his math skills and he’s utilizing it properly,” Pandian added. “It’s (the ability) there, but the practice is also important.”

At the family’s Bothell home, Merun’s trophies dominate a shelf leading up to the stairway. There’s awards for vocabulary, math, chess and dancing contests.

“He tries out a lot of things — he won’t reject anything,” said Pandian, noting that after tackling the vocabulary and math bees, he’s ready for the science and brain bees. “He’s a bee person.”