Latest news with #Kallakuri
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
14-year-old from Charlotte advances to Scripps National Spelling Bee finals
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Several students from the Carolinas are competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. Eight students from North Carolina and five students from South Carolina are competing in the 2025 competition, four of whom are from the Charlotte area. A full list of spellers can be found here. 14-year-old Aishwarya Kallakuri is the only speller from the Carolinas advancing to the finals. She is a student at Valor Prep Academy in Concord. Kallakuri made it to the national competition after competing in the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee back in March. The national competition, held in Washington, D.C. this year, began Tuesday. The finals are scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. Last year, Bruhat Soma, from Tampa, Florida, won the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Meet the 8 NC students to compete in 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Eight North Carolina middle schoolers will compete in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the national competition, which began in 1925 with nine spellers. In 2025, it includes 243 competitors from around the U.S. and is considered the country's largest and longest-running educational program. One North Carolina speller hails from Concord, while the rest are from Cary, Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville and Harnett and Johnston Counties. One additional speller in this year's contest is from just across the NC border in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Of the competitors, 53 competed in last year's bee while 178 are first-time participants. No speller from North Carolina has won the contest since 1970. Preliminary rounds begin Tuesday at 8 a.m. The semifinals air Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ION, while the finals air live Thursday at 8 p.m. There are multiple rounds of the competition, and spellers move forward each time they spell a given word correctly within the given minute and 30 seconds. When they spell a word incorrectly, they are eliminated. All spellers eliminated within the same round are tied for the same place. The champion is awarded a $50,000 cash prize. Here's a look at the eight spellers from North Carolina, and one Charlotte-area speller from Fort Mill, South Carolina, based on their bios on the spelling bee website: Kallakuri, 14, is an eighth-grader at Valor Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in Concord. She previously competed in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee, where she tied for 22nd place. An avid reader, writer and traveler, Kallakuri is passionate about learning new things and often practices new languages in her spare time. One day, she hopes to pursue a career in psychology and neuroscience. Akella, 11, is in sixth grade at Mills Park Middle School in Cary. He is a voracious reader with a love of learning, and he hopes to one day be an architect. In Akella's spare time, he enjoys playing the piano, writing poetry and watching and playing cricket and soccer. Good, 13, is a seventh-grader at Moore Square Magnet Middle School in Raleigh. He's passionate about theater and music and plays tenor saxophone in his school's band. He also enjoys running, biking and swimming as well as playing with his five cats and two dogs. Gottimukkala, 12, is a sixth-grader at Carnage G&T Magnet Middle School in Raleigh. She loves reading, math and science and is a puzzle enthusiast. She also has a passion for Bollywood dance, which she has been performing since she was 4 years old. Roxburg, 14, is an eighth-grader at Voyager Academy Middle School in Durham. He previously competed in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee and tied for 192nd place. Roxburg's first love is cooking and baking: he hopes to one day become a chef and open his own restaurant. Roxburg also loves acting, singing and listening to music. Thurnher, 14, is in eighth grade at Seventy-First Classical Middle School in Fayetteville. He previously competed in the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee and tied for 139th place. Thurnher loves coding, physics and chemistry, and he previously sent a science experiment to space as part of NASA's STARward STEM Design Challenge. He also enjoys, fencing, reading and drawing. Guzman-Vazquez, 13, is in seventh grade at Highland Middle School in Harnett County. She loves spending her time doing creative activities like writing, crocheting, drawing and designing fashion. She's been in a dual-language program since kindergarten and has competed in both English and Spanish spelling bees. Brown, 13, is an eighth grader at Southside Christian School in Johnston County. She loves reading, horseback riding and playing volleyball. Brown has also been an avid go-kart racer since she was 7 years old. Jain, 13, is in eighth grade at Pleasant Knoll Middle School in Fort Mill, South Carolina. He loves reading fantasy and mythology books and enjoys playing basketball and soccer in his spare time. Jain is also a seasoned traveler, having visited 12 countries.
