Marathon Spelling Bee Crowns Winner, Proves Academic Excellence At Central Middle School

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – More than 50 students entered and it took 25 rounds to find a winner, but the second annual Central Middle School Spelling Bee was another success and proved the students are up for any academic challenge.

Coordinated by English teacher Joanne Hirsch (eighth grade) and judged by Thomas Curcio (eighth grade English teacher) and Nancy McMahon (seventh grade English teacher), the event also featured announcer Tony Maccarella, a retired social studies teacher who returned to volunteer for competition.

All the words used came from the Scripps National Spelling Bee and the event featured students from grades six through eight. For the first 12 rounds all but four of the 54 entrants were eliminated, leaving Ananya Vasireddy (seventh grade), Shuba Prasadh (eighth grade), Theresa Zhang (eighth grade) and Rebecca Lam (sixth grade) to duke it out over the next 13 rounds.

In the end, Vasireddy correctly spelled “lithoglyphite” to claim the title.

“It is clear that all of the participants took this academic challenge seriously and prepared thoroughly for the competition, and all of the students received a certificate of achievement,” said Hirsch. “A plaque to honor the champion’s achievement is being ordered in her name, and a second plaque displayed within the school will include her name, the year, and the winning word. In addition, she has received a certificate of achievement and a free online subscription to Encyclopedia Brittanica for one year. The second place winner, Rebecca Lam, also received a free online subscription to Encyclopedia Brittanica for one year.”

Pictured: Joanne Hirsch with Ananya Vasireddy. Photo Courtesy Joanne Hirsch.