The 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee contest has begun in Washington D.C. and a number of Chicago-area kids are in the running to become the next spelling champ.
The live preliminary rounds began Wednesday at 8 a.m. ET with more than 280 spellers from around the country competing for the title of 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.
Among the contestants are eight students from the Chicago area.
They include:
- Summit Kumar – 13, Troy Middle School, Plainfield
- Bernadette A. Miao – 14, Saint John of the Cross Parish School, Western Springs
- Christopher Chang – 13, Butler Junior High School, Oak Brook
- Gerardo Amaro—14, Beaubien Elemnentary School, Chicago
- Zander G. Patent – 14, Latin School of Chicago, Chicago
- Aniket Nuthalapati –14, Aptakisic Junior High School, Buffalo Grove
- Aditya Nadkarni – 14, Bednarcik Junior High School, Aurora
- Tejas Shyamsundar –11, Lincoln Elementary School, Hoffman Estates
Spellers started by taking a preliminary test Tuesday and will compete on stage Wednesday morning and afternoon for rounds two and three of the event. The contestants moving on to the semifinals of the event are expected to be announced later Wednesday at the end of Round Three. Up to 50 spellers can advance, according to the rules.
Last year, a west suburban eighth-grader finished in fifth place in the championship finals.
Local
Alia Abiad, a 14-year-old from Western Springs, was eliminated when she misspelled “irbis,” the name for a Russian Snow Leopard. She tied another contestant for fifth place.
