Merced County student qualifies for Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington
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- Merced student Akshara Thummala won regional bee with the word "untenable".
- She uses dictionary study, family quizzes and the Word Club app to prepare.
- MCOE will fund flights and Scripps covers hotel for national Bee in Washington.
One Merced student earned a trip to Washington, D.C., in May after claiming first place in the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee on March 28. The winning word was “untenable.”
First-place speller Akshara Thummala is a student at Merced Scholars Charter School. She’s no stranger to spelling bees — in fact, she also earned first place in the Merced County written spelling bee in December.
Thummala said she enjoys studying for spelling bees. Her mother, Divya Potturu, described her as a “voracious reader.” Thummala previously told the Sun-Star that she thinks of herself as a “bibliophile.”
In addition to her enthusiasm for reading, Thummala said she has a few techniques to prepare for spelling competitions. First, she looks up unfamiliar words in the dictionary while she reads and pays close attention to the spelling of each word. She also has her mom quiz her on spelling at home. Finally, she uses the Word Club app, designed by Scripps, to practice in between competitions.
Thummala said she is very excited to go to Washington and especially is looking forward to the “Bee Bash” at the end of the week.
Stacie Arancibia, who works in events and community engagement for the Merced County Office of Education, said MCOE will assist with some of the costs to attend the national competition , namely flights for Thummala and a parent. The hotel is included through the county’s partnership with Scripps.
The second-place winner in the Merced County Regional Spelling Bee was Andrea Cruz, a student at Stone Ridge Christian School.
Thummala said she is grateful to her school for paying the enrollment fee for the competition and believing in her, as well as to Rishab Saha of Merced, who earned seventh place in the 2024 National Spelling Bee and served as a judge in this year’s regional bee.
Her final tip for other students who are competing in spelling bees, or who hope to in the future is: “Don’t be nervous ... (and) interact with the other kids, because everyone’s a kid just like you. They’re all going through the same feelings.”
