ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Three students from Orange County Public Schools were recognized for their spelling skills.
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Elvis Avetis, Nathan Crabbendam, and Velvizhi Sethirayar were crowned the regional Scripps Spelling Bee champions at Walt Disney World earlier in March.
Avetis is in eighth grade at Discovery Middle School, Crabbendam is an eighth-grade student at Sunridge Middle School and Sethirayar is in sixth grade at Orlando Gifted Academy.
After 23 rounds, the students showed their talents with challenging words and secured spots in the national competition.
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The Foundation for OCPS and Disney helped support the district-wide competition.
Avetis, Crabbendam and Sethirayar will compete against other young wordsmiths from May 26 through June 1 in Washington, D.C.
They will represent OCPS and its dedication to literacy.
“The Scripps Spelling Bee has been an incredible platform for our students to showcase their talents and dedication,” said Nancy Golden, OCPS program specialist, K-12 academic competitions. “We are immensely proud of all the participants who demonstrated their linguistic skills and determination throughout the competition.
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