Fremont Middle School Student Wins Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Sanskriti Parihar was the last speller standing in the final round to clinch the win at the 49th annual Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee presented by Kent ISD. Parihar, an 8th grade student at Fremont Middle School in Fremont, previously participated in the Bee in 2023. This year, she took home the top prize at the event on March 19 at Kent ISD’s Conference Center after multiple rounds of spelling and vocabulary, edging out fourteen student winners of regional qualifier bees in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo, Allegan and Barry counties.
The competition is in the format of a spelldown in which each speller receives one word per round. They must spell the word correctly in order to advance to the next round. The final speller standing becomes the champion and this year that honor was awarded to Parihar. Second place finisher was Christopher Smith, an 8th grade student from Cedar Springs Middle School. Third place went to last year’s second place winner Vonn Oosterhouse, an 8th grade student at Northern Hills Middle School in Forest Hills. There was a rare tie for fourth place between Aanya Naveen, an 8th grader at Northern Hills Middle School in Forest Hills, and Evelyn Fennema, a 7th grader from Moline Christian School. Each received a Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary, 11th edition. Personalized Regional Winner trophies were awarded to all 15 students who participated in the Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee.
Parihar will compete at the 101st Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals May 26-28. She was awarded a trip for her and a parent to travel to the DAR Constitution Hall where the finals will be held in Washington, D.C. Additional prizes awarded to Parihar include a News-O-Matic subscription, a subscription to Britannica online premium, and a Merriam-Webster Unabridged online certificate.
Photo: From left, Cedar Springs eighth-grader Christopher Thaddieus Smith III, Forest Hills Northern Hills eighth-grader Vonn Oosterhouse, and Fremont eighth-grader and champion Sanskriti Parihar (photo by Max Wicklund)
