LYNN — Adarsh Venkannagari, a fourth-grade student from Gates Elementary School in Acton, walked out of the 37th Daily Item Regional Spelling Bee as the victor after he successfully spelled the word “adversarial” at the Lynn Auditorium Tuesday night.
Venkannagari came close to victory in last year’s contest, placing second after misspelling the word “sciatica.” This time, he walked out of City Hall as the best speller out of 32 Eastern Massachusetts spelling bee champions after his final opponent, eighth-grader Aaditiya Akare from Westford, misspelled “heinousness.”
“It feels really great,” Venkannagari said.
Third place winner Kristopher Young, a seventh-grade student from Norwell Middle School, made it through 10 rounds. He spelled words like “necrotic,” “plutonomy,” and “equivocate” before misspelling “limpa” in the eleventh round, narrowing the competition down to Akare and Venkannagari.
Before the competition the 32 students gathered with co-sponsors Joel and Mary Abramson for a Spellers Dinner, courtesy of one of the event’s sponsors, Old Tyme Italian Cuisine.
Joel welcomed the students and families with opening remarks before Mayor Jared Nicholson and Acting Superintendent of Schools Debra Ruggiero wished the students good luck.
“These are such great opportunities for you to showcase your skills,” Nicholson said. “It takes a lot of hard work to get here, and so you should also enjoy the moment.”
Pronouncer Walter Stone, the assistant dean of STEM and business at North Shore Community College (NSCC), read the first word “lucky” to kick off the first round. The words grew in complexity, featuring “luminance,” “acerola,” and “kookaburra” as the night progressed.
Judges included retired Daily Item editor Steve Krause, NSCC Adjunct Instructor Caryn Olson, and NSCC Director of Early Childhood Education and Childcare Kathy Gallo. They began ringing a bell to indicate misspelled words in the second round, when the words “kernel,” “tiffany,” and “bango” eliminated three contestants.
Venkannagari, who is 9-years-old, said that he started competing in spelling bees in the first grade.
As winner, he will receive a $100 Amazon gift card and round-trip airfare to Washington, D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this May.
The trip includes week-long hotel accommodations at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Forest Heights, Maryland and spending money for the winner and chaperone, all paid for by the generosity of the Abramsons.
Venkannagari’s father, Sreedhar, said that his son worked tirelessly to prepare for this year’s spelling bee and that his teachers helped him practice.
Venkannagari said he is looking forward to competing in May.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to win, but I want to win,” Venkannagari said.
