245 spellers are competing in the 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, including four from Charlotte, all of whom advanced through yesterday's three preliminary rounds:
Aishwarya Kallakuri: A 13-year-old seventh grader at Valor Preparatory Academy.
Ananya Rao Prassanna: A 13-year-old seventh grader at Davis Drive Middle School.
Harini Jayakumar: An 11-year-old sixth grader at The Brawley School.
Phaneendra Bulusu: A 12-year-old sixth grader at Harris Road Middle.
State of p-l-a-y: In round three yesterday, Kallakuri correctly called "ciabatta," Prassanna didn't boil under the pressure of "bain-marie," Jayakumar nailed "tendenz," and Bulusu went the distance with "parsec." All advance to today's quarterfinals.
📺 How to watch: Quarterfinals begin at 8am today on Ion Plus, followed by the semifinals starting at 8pm tonight. The finals begin at 8pm on Thursday. The semifinals and the finals will be broadcast on Ion.
