Joshua Kim, Vishnu Vardhana, and Akhil Giddaluri
Eighth-grader Akhil Giddaluri came out victorious after 11 rounds and correctly spelling the word toreador at the Zone Spelling Bee.
Akhil refers to a bullfighter, which was an apropos word choice for Akhil, having fought to compete in the Zone Spelling Bee for the last six years, beginning when he was a third-grader at Brainerd Baptist School.
Akhil won the McCallie spelling bee in January, along with seventh-grader Vishnu Vardhana, and eighth-grader Joshua Kim. The McCallie spelling bee is organized by sixth-grade teacher Weesie Cook and with assistance from junior Connor Parks, who finished second Zone Spelling Bee as an eighth-grader in 2019 before going on to win the Tennessee Regional Spelling Bee and attending the Scripps National Spelling Bee later that year.
Akhil said of preparing for the Zone Spelling Bee this year, “I’ve been quizzing myself on the words or having my mom quiz me.” His English teacher, Tammy Barber, also said that there is an emphasis on vocabulary words in the eighth-grade curriculum that is normally tied to their required reading, including Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. “They have learned 80 new vocabulary words just since school started back in January,” she said.
The next step for Akhil will be the Tennessee Regional Spelling Bee held on March 5 on the campus of UTC.