One eighth grader is a seasoned veteran of the most competitive circuit. These are the students who reached the finals of this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee. The youngest, Vivinsha Veduru, is 11. Several spellers competed in the grueling 2019 tournament, which produced eight co-champions after hours of quizzing. And among the 14-year-olds is a student making her fourth attempt at the spelling crown: Ashrita Gandhari, who competed in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Source: New York Times July 08, 2021 23:58 UTC