Akshaj Somisetty is competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. Somisetty is an eighth grader at Mountain View Middle School in the Cumberland Valley School District.
Cumberland Valley student is among the best spellers in the US
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Staff
Akshaj Somisetty is competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. Somisetty is an eighth grader at Mountain View Middle School in the Cumberland Valley School District.
A Cumberland County eighth-grader sponsored by Pennon finished ninth in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Akshaj Somisetty, 13, of Mountain View Middle School in the Cumberland Valley School District was competing in the national spelling bee for the second time. He tied for 60th last year.
He was eliminated after incorrectly defining “imbroglio” in the vocabulary round. In the vocabulary round, spellers are given 30 seconds to answer a multiple-choice question about the definition of a word. If students don’t identify the correct definition, they’re out.
He won the 2025 Central PA Spelling Bee in round 16 by correctly spelling “prodition.”
Somisetty was sponsored by Pennon Education.
It was 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.
Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who was the favorite entering the bee after his runner-up finish last year, earned the title of champion.
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