Eleven PSD students to compete at state spelling bee

Nikhil Ganta, Traut Elementary School student, is the PSD 2023 spelling bee champion.
Traut Elementary School student Nikhil Ganta is the PSD 2023 spelling bee champion.

 

Eleven Poudre School District students came out on top at the Poudre School District Spelling Bee, each earning a spot to compete at the Colorado State Spelling Bee in March.

Congratulations to these top PSD spellers moving on to the state competition:

  • First place: Nikhil Ganta, third grader at Traut Elementary School, earned the bee’s champion title by spelling the word “accentuate”
  • Second place: Sophia Spink, fifth grader, Lopez Elementary School
  • Third place: Bodhi Kaiser, fourth grader, Johnson Elementary School
  • Olivia MacLeod, fourth grader, Bethke Elementary School
  • Devika Nair, seventh grader, Kinard Middle School 
  • Levi Hayward, seventh grader, Lesher Middle School 
  • Maya Shover, seventh grader, Liberty Common School
  • Ian Furxhi, fifth grader, McGraw Elementary School
  • Hunter Mast, seventh grader, Poudre Global Academy
  • Henry Binder, seventh grader, Ridgeview Classical School
  • Callum Weatherhogg, sixth grader, Timnath Middle-High School 

These students will participate in the written spelling and vocabulary state spelling bee on Thursday, Feb. 23, followed by the in-person Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee Saturday, March 11, in Denver. 

This year students representing 34 elementary and middle schools competed in PSD’s written spelling bee. Of those students, 22 scored high enough to compete at the district oral spelling bee held on Feb. 3, 2023. 

  • Spelling bee participants at the 2023 PSD bee.
  • Spelling bee participants encourage each other with high fives.
  • A spelling bee finalist shakes hands with the winner.
  • A spelling bee judge makes notes.
  • Audience members clap for the spelling bee participants.