WITF and Pennon Education Announce Central PA Spelling Bee Winner
The winner has earned the opportunity to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May
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Christina Zeiders
WITF and Pennon Education are excited to announce that Akshaj Somisetty is the top speller of the 2025 Central PA Spelling Bee for the second consecutive year, earning the opportunity to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May 2025.
Somisetty is an eighth grader at Mountain View Middle School in the Cumberland Valley School District. He won the 2025 Central PA Spelling Bee in round 16 by correctly spelling “prodition.”
He has earned a coveted spot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place May 27 – 29, 2025, near Washington, D.C.
More than 200 spellers from 10 Central Pennsylvania counties participated in this year’s Central PA Spelling Bee. After an online written test, 33 of those spellers qualified for the Grand Championship Spelling Bee, which was held on March 15, 2025, at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Harrisburg, Pa.
The 2025 Central PA Spelling Bee helps to prepare the winning speller for the Scripps National Spelling Bee by providing an on-stage experience and an opportunity for Central Pennsylvania’s spellers to meet each other.
“Being on stage for the Bee helps build our Central PA spellers’ confidence with public speaking and performing under pressure,” says WITF Central PA Spelling Bee Coordinator, Patrick J. Dennehy. “Spellers also have the opportunity to connect with their fellow spellers, which makes the experience even more memorable.”
This is Scripps’ 100th year hosting their National Spelling Bee. Nine children competed in the first Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1925. Today, millions of students compete at all levels of the spelling bee program. Learn more about Scripps National Spelling Bee at spellingbee.com.
The 2025 Central PA Spelling Bee was supported by the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation and hosted by Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
