LYNN – The 39th Item Scripps National Spelling Bee Eastern Massachusetts Regional Finals took place Tuesday evening at 5 p.m., bringing together the top young spellers from across the state for a night of intense competition.
The event, held at Veterans Memorial City Hall Auditorium, opened with the word onion and set the stage for a contest that would determine who would move on to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
The competition, co-hosted/sponsored by Joel and Mary Abramson in partnership with The Daily Item, has grown significantly over the years.
“We started with just 28 schools, and now we have nearly 100 participating,” Abramson said in his opening remarks. “Over 5,000 students competed in this program, and tonight, we celebrate the best of the best.”
Superintendent of Lynn Public Schools, Dr. Evonne S. Alvarez, emphasized the significance of spelling and literacy.
“Spelling is more than memorizing letters,” she said. “It’s the foundation of literacy, communication, and lifelong learning.”
Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson recognized the milestone event, presenting citations to longtime organizers Joel and Mary Abramson and The Daily Item’s Susan Conti for their dedication.
“100 years of competition—it speaks volumes about the importance of literacy and the value of healthy competition,” Nicholson said.
Dr. Walter Stone, Dean of Postsecondary Transition Programs at North Shore Community College, served as the pronouncer, guiding contestants through each round.
The competition was judged by Amanda Lurey of The Daily Item, retired longtime Item Sports Editor Steve Krause, and 2022 regional spelling champion Saketh Madhusudhan.
With each passing round, the competition grew more intense, testing the knowledge, composure, and determination of the spellers. After hours of rigorous spelling, one student emerged victorious.
Adarsh Venkannagari, a sixth-grade student from Gates Elementary School, won the 39th Item Scripps National Spelling Bee Eastern Massachusetts Regional by correctly spelling the word cacology. Venkannagari, who is from Acton, Mass., emerged victorious after an intense final round.
The final rounds came down to three contestants. Logan Wild, a seventh-grade student from St. John’s Preparatory High School, finished in third place. The last two remaining spellers—Adarsh and eighth-grader Avika Shukla of William Galvin Middle School—battled for 17 rounds, from Round 8 to Round 25, before Adarsh Venkannagari secured the championship.
“This competition was an amazing experience,” Venkannagari said after his victory. “I want to thank the Abramsons and everyone else involved in this competition for this amazing opportunity. I prepared by going through a lot of word lists, and I especially want to thank my mom for sitting with me through all of those words and guiding me with a lot of experience.”
Venkannagari, a seasoned competitor, has been spelling competitively since first grade. He first made it to the regional competition in third grade and has been preparing every year since.
“This will be my third time going to the national finals,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to win again after seeing all the scores in the test, but I’m really ecstatic to take part in the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Everyone else did a wonderful job in this bee.”
The champion will now advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., where he will compete against the nation’s top spellers in May.
As the evening came to a close, organizers reflected on the event’s significance, celebrating not only the competitors but the teachers, parents, and volunteers who made the milestone event possible.
“We are proud of these students,” Abramson said. “Their hard work and dedication are a testament to the power of words and the bright future ahead of them.”
