Parchuri finishes as quarterfinalist at Scripps spelling bee
Raana Parchuri of Upper St.Clair recently finished as a quarterfinalist at the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee. The Fort Couch Middle School seventh-grader placed 74th among the 231 participants who qualified for nationals.
Parchuri correctly spelled “Oort cloud” in round 1, identified the correct definition of “phylum” in round 2, and then correctly spelled “levy” in round 3, allowing him to advance to the quarterfinals.
“He misspelled ‘naperer’ as ‘knaperer,’ thinking that since it was French in origin, the word may have a silent ‘k,'” said Parchuri’s dad, Sunil. “Nonetheless, we are so proud of his journey and Raana looks forward to returning to the big stage next year.”
Parchuri qualified to compete at the Scripps National Spelling by winning the 2023 Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee in March at Robert Morris University. He also won the regional competition in 2020 as a fourth-grader. In 2021, he finished second.