The 39th Item Scripps National Spelling Bee Eastern Massachusetts Regional Finals took place Tuesday evening at 5 p.m., bringing together the top young spellers from across the state for a night of intense competition.

The event, held at Veterans Memorial City Hall Auditorium, opened with the word onion and set the stage for a contest that would determine who would move on to the national finals in Washington, D.C.

The final rounds came down to three contestants. Logan Wild, a seventh-grade student from St. John’s Preparatory High School, finished in third place. The last two remaining spellers—sixth grader Adarsh  Venkannagari of Gates Elementary School, Acton and eighth-grader Avika Shukla of William Galvin Middle School, Canton —battled for 17 rounds, from Round 8 to Round 25, before Adarsh Venkannagari secured the championship.

The competition, co-hosted/sponsored by Joel and Mary Abramson in partnership with The Daily Item, has grown significantly over the years.

“We started with just 28 schools, and now we have nearly 100 participating,” Abramson said in his opening remarks. “Over 5,000 students competed in this program, and tonight, we celebrate the best of the best.”

Superintendent of Lynn Public Schools, Dr. Evonne S. Alvarez, emphasized the significance of spelling and literacy.

“Spelling is more than memorizing letters,” she said. “It’s the foundation of literacy, communication, and lifelong learning.”

|