Hudson County’s top young speller of 2023 made it all the way to the semifinals last week in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, outlasting all but 21 of the more than 230 original contestants.
Kavya Jakasania, 13, a seventh-grade student at JCPS Middle School 4, #frankrconwellms4 was a first time contestant, and reached the Scripps bee by winning the 2023 Hudson County Spelling Bee, sponsored by the county Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs and Tourism Development, in February.
She credited Middle School 4 Spelling Bee curator Tina Rose, English Language Arts teacher Max Arias and Principal Richard Stellato for their support.
"I really grew from Bee Week, and I learned a lot of new things,” Kavya said, adding she plans to work “twice as hard” over the next year in the hope that she’ll make it all the way to the finals in 2024.
We are very proud of Kavya and wish her the best for 2024.