5 Bridgewater Students Compete In Somerset County Spelling Bee

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Five Bridgewater students were among the 20 who competed in the 6th annual Somerset County Spelling Bee Spectacular.

Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) hosted the event on March 5.

The Bridgewater students included:

• Emilio Caballero, Grade 4, Bradley Gardens Elementary School, Bridgewater
• Anaya Ghate, Grade 4, Crim Elementary School, Bridgewater
• Rubyann Dezuzio, Grade 3, Hamilton Elementary School, Bridgewater
• Aaron Paul, Grade 5, Eisenhower Intermediate School, Bridgewater
• Claire Kipila, Grade 4, Van Holten Elementary School, Bridgewater

Nitya Kathiravan an eighth-grader at Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset won first place in the competition and will now be representing Somerset County at the National Bee in Washington, D.C.

The winning word was #314, Telamon. Telamon is a noun, originally a Greek word that then passed into Latin, and defined as a male figure used as a supporting column or pilaster.

Watch the winning moment:

The second-place winner was seventh-grader Atharv Narvekar from Montgomery Upper Middle School in Skillman.

Here is a full list of the spellers who competed:

• Ishan Bala, Grade 6, Auten Road Intermediate School, Hillsborough
• Alec Cholewicki, Grade 4, Bayberry School, Watchung
• Emilio Caballero, Grade 4, Bradley Gardens Elementary School, Bridgewater
• John Dugan, Grade 6, Branchburg Central Middle School, Branchburg
• Meghana Indupuru, Grade 5, Cedar Hill Preparatory School, Somerset
• Marcus Vergara, Grade 8, Central Jersey College Prep Middle School, Somerset
• Anaya Ghate, Grade 4, Crim Elementary School, Bridgewater
• Rubyann Dezuzio, Grade 3, Hamilton Elementary School, Bridgewater
• Arkith Cherukmilli, Grade 6, Montgomery Lower Middle School, Skillman
• Atharv Narvekar, Grade 7, Montgomery Upper Middle School, Skillman
• Nitya Kathiravan, Grade 8, Rutgers Preparatory School, Somerset
• Sophia Crum, Grade 6, School Of Saint Elizabeth, Bernardsville
• Wajeeha Amir, Grade 6, Somerset Intermediate School, North Plainfield
• Tingting Luo, Grade 8, The Pingry School, Basking Ridge
• Arvin Kutty, Grade 5, Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School, Somerset
• Isha Gidwani, Grade 6, Valley View School, Watchung
• Christian Eason, Grade 4, West End School, North Plainfield
• Aaron Paul, Grade 5, Eisenhower Intermediate School, Bridgewater
• Claire Kipila, Grade 4, Van Holten Elementary School, Bridgewater
• Ethan Chibwe, Grade 8, Warren Middle School, Warren

The event was presented, judged, and hosted by Somerset County commissioners, Library commissioners, and SCLSNJ staff including Melonie Marano, Somerset County commission deputy director; Joan Pritchard, Somerset County library commission; Shanel Y. Robinson, Somerset County commission director; Brian Auger, county library administrator; Paul Drake, Somerset County commission; and Douglas Singleterry, Somerset County commission.

For more information, email spellingbee@sclibnj.org.

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