TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Topeka public school students competed in the county’s spelling bee this weekend.
The 69th Shawnee Co. Spelling Bee returned this weekend. Students from several elementary and middle schools competed for a chance to advance to the state competition. Preetam Anaparthi, a student at Jay Schideler Elementary and winner of this year’s competition, said that a competition like this takes effort.
“There are many words that I had to prepare for,” Anaparthi said. “It also reduces a lot in your normal day, but if you have a lot of spare time, it’s really good to use it.”
The spelling bee was made possible through sponsorship from Forge. After last year’s contest was canceled, this year 501 Topeka Public Schools and Forge made it possible for students. Forge Forge President Richard Kelly said knowing how hard students work for this opportunity means a lot to him.
“Being able to be here and provide this kind of experience to these guys is so important,” Kelly said. “To be able to see them come here and put all their hard work and effort out there.”
The competition started at 9am and continued until a winner was determined. And after multiple rounds for the last two, Preetam Anaparthi has been declared the winner, making him progress to the state competition if he successfully wins. He will then move on to the national competition.
