May 24, 2016
Four Philadelphia-area students will compete in the 89th Scripps National Spelling Bee this week.
A total of 285 contestants punched their ticket to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, for the competition, which begins Tuesday.
Spellers must pass a multiple choice test on Tuesday and two rounds of oral spelling on Wednesday to reach the television finals portion of the event.
No more than 50 contestants will compete in the finals on Thursday, which starts at 10 a.m. on ESPN2 and will continue at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
All spellers will receive a Kindle, an unabridged copy of Webster's Third New International Dictionary, The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award and a one-year membership to Britannica Online Premium.
Here's more on the local spellers:
Aditi Sridhar.
Sridhar, 13, is an eighth-grader from Garnet Valley Middle School in Glen Mills, Pa. She is sponsored by The Chester Spirit in Delaware County. Sridhar wants to become a lawyer.
Aakash Narayan.
Narayan, 13, is a seventh-grader from Great Valley Middle School in Malvern, Pa. He is sponsored by the Chester County Intermediate Unit. He is a Mensa Life Member and loves to crack logic puzzles. Narayan competed in last year's Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Saif Siddiquee.
Siddiquee, 13, is a seventh-grader from Penn Alexander School in Philadelphia. He is sponsored by The Philadelphia Tribune. Siddiquee enjoys playing Call of Duty and likes rap.
Shruthika Padhy.
Padhy, 10, is a fifth-grader from Bret Harte Elementary School in Cherry Hill, N.J. She is also sponsored by the school. Padhy likes to explore new places and enjoys swimming.
