For the second consecutive year, Pranav Kollu from Cambridge Lakes Charter School in District 300 represented Kane County in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Earlier in the year, Pranav and seven other spelling finalists throughout Kane County competed for the chance to be crowned champion. While the competition was fierce, lasting 12 rounds and eventually ending in the vocabulary round, Pranav took home the title with the winning vocabulary word “pinafore” while the last spelling words were “anachronism” and “fusillade.”
Pranav and his family, sponsored by the Kane Excellence in Education Partnership and the Kane County Cougars, traveled to Washington, D.C., where he competed against 565 students from around the United States for the crown of the 92nd National Spelling Bee Champion from May 28 through May 30.Pranav competed with the best spellers in the nation and was able to make it to the third round of the bee. He spelled his word in the second round — “tetrazzini” — correctly.
When asked to spell “gizzard,” Pranav joked with Jacques Bailly, the voice of the Scripps Bee, saying he didn’t feel well and got a laugh from the audience before nailing the correct spelling of the word.
“The Kane County ROE is proud of Pranav and the Kollu family for their achievement and how they represented Kane County on the national stage once again,” Regional Superintendent Patricia Dal Santo said. “The ROE is grateful for the support of the Kane Excellence in Education and the Kane County Cougars in sponsoring the Kane County Spelling Bee finalist each year as they represent Kane County at the National Spelling Bee.”
The 92nd Scripps National Spelling Bee championship made history this year, as eight dictionary experts survived 20 total rounds without a miss and shared the championship title.
Pranav Kollu Profile
- Speller Number: 130
- Hometown: Algonquin, Illinois
- Sponsor: Kane County Regional Office of Education
- School: Cambridge Lakes Charter School
- Age: 12, sixth Grade