Two Montgomery Students to Compete in Annual Spelling Bee

Two students from Montgomery will compete in the Fourth Annual Spelling Bee Spectacular for children in grades three through eight at the Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School, located at 14 Vogt Drive in Bridgewater on March 16, from 2 pm to 6 pm.

The students are Aarushi Chaturvedi, Grade 8, Montgomery Upper Middle School and Aryahi Narvekar, Grade 6, Montgomery Lower Middle School.

The event is hosted by the Somerset County Library System (SCLS), a network of 10 public libraries, including the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill.

"Participation in the Fourth Annual Spelling Bee helps students increase their scholastic skills by strengthening their mastery of vocabulary and grammar,” said Karen Pifher, SCLS manager of branch services - young minds and family resources. “The bee provides each participant with an opportunity to connect and share the experience with students from other communities, while also helping to build self-confidence."

The winner of SCLSNJ’s Bee Spectacular will be eligible to attend the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. May 26-31 at the library system’s expense. Additional prizes will be awarded including a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online.

“We're excited to host the Scripps Spelling Bee for Somerset County for the fourth year,” said Brian K. Auger, county library administrator. “More than just a fun event, it highlights the library as a cornerstone educational institution that promotes lifelong learning.”

Here is the complete list of competitors from schools throughout Somerset County:

1. Marwa Shahzad, Grade 4, Stony Brook School, North Plainfield;

2. Daniyal Danish, Grade 4, Amsterdam Elementary School

3. Jason Lauducci, Grade 8, Branchburg Central Middle School, Branchburg

4. Rhea Patel, Grade 6, Valley View School, Watchung 5. Nathaniel Wong, Grade 4, Bradley Gardens Elementary School, Bridgewater 6. Nitya Kathiravan, Grade 5, Rutgers Preparatory School, Somerset 7. Abhay Sankar, Grade 6, Eisenhower Intermediate School, Bridgewater 8. Aarushi Chaturvedi, Grade 8, Montgomery Upper Middle School, Skillman 9. Mia Hernandez, Grade 4, East End School, North Plainfield 10. Katie Wei, Grade 7, Immaculate Conception School, Somerville 11. Ayush Patel, Grade 4, Van Holten Elementary School, Bridgewater 12. Baylyn Shankman, Grade 7, School Of Saint Elizabeth, Bernardsville 13. Arya Adusumilli, Grade 8, Warren Middle School, Warren 14. Tanishka Cholan, Grade 4, Bayberry School, Watchung 15. Aishanya Makode, Grade 3, Hamilton Elementary School, Bridgewater 16. Ansh Parikh, Grade 6, Central Jersey College Prep Middle School, Somerset 17. Aryahi Narvekar, Grade 6, Montgomery Lower Middle School, Skillman 18. Shyamak Joshi, Grade 4, Woods Road Elementary School, Hillsborough 19. Komal Saleem, Grade 7, North Plainfield Middle School, North Plainfield 20. Aanya Shah, Grade 7, Cedar Hill Preparatory School, Somerset 21. Nathan Napolitano, Grade 4, West End School, North Plainfield 22. Santoshshiva Thirumurugan, Grade 8, Franklin Middle School, Somerset 23. Reed Mitchell, Grade 7, Far Hills Country Day School, Far Hills 24. Aritra Banerjee, Grade 6, Auten Road Intermediate School, Hillsborough 25. Anmol Bhatia, Grade 8, Green Brook Middle School, Green Brook 26. Kris Chaudhary, Grade 6, Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School, Somerset 27. Aahana Palyada, Grade 6, Hillside Intermediate School, Bridgewater 28. Neil Nikhil, Grade 3, Irene E. Feldkirchner Elementary School, Green Brook 29. Aida Li, Grade 8, The Pingry School, Basking Ridge 30. Sari Estomata, Grade 8, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Middle School, Bridgewater 31. Maya Misiaszek, Grade 3, Central Jersey College Preparatory Elementary School, Somerset 32. Sahib Bal, Grade 3, Crim Elementary School, Bridgewater 33. Pradnesh Thoppay, Grade 6, Bernardsville Middle School, Bernardsville

Emcee for the evening will be Mike Kerwin, Somerset County Business Partnership president and CEO. Pronouncer will be Brian K. Auger, county library administrator.

Judges will be:

—Patricia L. Walsh, Somerset County Freeholder; Head Judge

—Brian G. Gallagher, Somerset County Freeholder; Rounds/Records Judge

—Nancy Stoll, SCLSNJ library commissioner; Rounds/Records Judge

—Corinne Fender, SCLSNJ library commissioner; Dictionary Judge

—Patrick Scaglione, Treasurer, Somerset County Library Foundation; Appeals Judge

SCLSNJ branches can be found in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, Manville, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Rocky Hill at Mary Jacobs Memorial Library, Somerville, Warren Township, and Watchung. Additionally, there are two SCLSNJ reading stations in Branchburg and Washington Valley. Visit SCLSNJ.org.