LYNN — Lynn City Hall was buzzing with excitement Tuesday evening, as 35 spelling aficionados sat on stage, eagerly waiting to spell the night away at the 38th annual Daily Item Regional Spelling Bee.
The competition is a qualifying round for the 99th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee taking place in Washington, D.C. in late May.
Prior to the start of the competition, students from all over Eastern Massachusetts gathered backstage, as they were told the Scripps rules, such as not going back to correct spelling and no correcting of another speller’s word.
Co-sponsor Joel Abramson took to the stage at 5 p.m. to welcome the audience and sage some wisdom onto the contestants.
“My wife, Mary, and I have partnered with the Item for more than a decade, and during this time we have increased the participation from 28 schools throughout the region to well over 100,” Abramson said.
He said that the contestants, representing grades 3-8, competed in their respective preliminary contests to get onto the stage Tuesday night. There were more than 5,000 students that competed in the preliminary rounds.
“Statistics clearly show that students who read a great deal will enhance their communication skills, and exceed the national test averages. They will also perform better in college and throughout their professional life,” Abramson said.
He thanked the volunteers and everyone involved in the effort, including Susan Conti, Essex Media Group controller.
“Susan Conti from the Item is truly the backbone of our team, and we surely could not have coordinated such a spectacular integrated event without her tireless efforts,” Abramson said.
Before handing the microphone to Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, Abramson gave some advice to the competitors on-stage.
“Have fun, relax, and when the time comes, slow down, ask questions if need be, think positively and you’ll be ready to meet the challenge,” Abramson said.
Nicholson closed off the welcoming remarks, thanking everyone for coming out, and congratulating the students on their efforts to get to the regional bee.
“It’s an honor to be hosting this spelling bee. I think tonight we get an opportunity to celebrate these incredible students and we all get to honor and reflect on what’s gotten them here,” Nicholson said.
To start the show, pronouncer Walter Stone, head of North Shore Community College (NSCC) Post Secondary Transition Programs, took the stage, while judges Caryn Olson, NSCC Adjunct Instructor; Madhu Rajagopalan, spelling bee “extraordinaire;” and Steve Krause, retired Item reporter and copyeditor, sat below the stage.
Stone introduced the first competitor, seventh-grade student at Old Rochester Regional Junior High in Mattapoisett, Sydney Benard, and asked her to spell “bumblebee.”
With Benard buzzing right through the word, the competition was off.
Three students were eliminated in the first round, five were eliminated in the second round, seven were eliminated in the third round and six were eliminated in the fourth round. Another four competitors were eliminated in the fifth round, two were eliminated in the sixth round, two more were eliminated in the seventh round, and one was eliminated in the eighth round, leaving five students left on stage going back and forth for a few rounds until three remained.
In third place was Arpith Mishra, seventh-grade student from Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury. In second place was Sofia Valenzuela, an eighth grader from Montrose School in Medfield.
The winner of the spelling bee was none other than Adarsh Venkannagari, who was also the winner of last year’s regional spelling bee .
This is the first time that the Item Spelling Bee has had a repeat winner.
Venkannagari is a fifth-grade student from Gates Elementary School in Acton. This year, he took home the prize of an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. and a $100 Amazon gift card, after spelling the word “deceleron.”
“I feel ecstatic, amazing,” Venkannagari said after winning for the second year in a row. “I can go to Scripps again.”
