When it comes to making spelling bee history at Roanoke County Public Schools, Cave Spring
Middle School sixth grader Ashvin Pinnamaraju and William Byrd Middle School eighth grader
Rory Grant, are the tops.
Last year, Grant edged out Pinnamaraju in the 18th round to claim the title and went on to the
Scripps National Spelling Bee, where he advanced to the semifinal round – the farthest any
Roanoke County student has proceeded at the national level.
At this year’s Roanoke County Spelling Bee on Feb. 11, the two faced off for the rematch with
Pinnamaraju outlasting Grant in an epic duel– 73 rounds– by far the longest spelling bee in
Roanoke County Public Schools history. They were the only two left standing after round 23 and
proceeded to battle back and forth for 50 more rounds before a winner was finally crowned.
Pinnamaraju correctly spelled “certiorari,” a writ or order by which a higher court reviews the
decision of a lower court, to earn his way to the regional spelling bee at Radford University in
March. Grant will serve as the alternate.
the spelling bee each year, first place winner Ashvin Pinnamaraju, second place winner Rory
Grant, and School Superintendent Dr. Ken Nicely. (photo by Debbie Adams)
“This was unlike any spelling bee we’ve ever seen,” said Joe LeGault, supervisor of English for
Roanoke County Public Schools. “The former record was 63 rounds and that was during a
previous format where many more students were participating. This was an astounding
performance by both students.”
“Ashvin and Rory were simply amazing,” said Dr. Ken Nicely, superintendent of Roanoke
County Public Schools. “For round after round, these two incredibly talented students correctly
spelled word after word. I could tell they both put in hours and hours of practice and study and it
showed. Rory was a great champion last year, and I know Ashvin will be a great representative
for Roanoke County Public Schools this year.”
Spelling Bee winners from Vinton area elementary and middle schools (grades 5-8) advanced
from winning their school spelling bees to participate in the 2026 Roanoke County District Spelling Bee. In addition to Grant, they were Gavin Burns from Bonsack Elementary, Isiah
Strother from Herman L. Horn Elementary, Laken Ayers from Mount Pleasant Elementary, and
Madison Brown from W.E. Cundiff Elementary.
Judges for the District Spelling Bee were Dr. Nicely, Executive Director of Elementary
Instruction Kim Bradshaw, Executive Director of Secondary Instruction Mike Riley, and Science
Supervisor Tammy Sauls. Tracy Addison, English Dept. chair at WBMS, had the difficult
assignment of being the “Pronouncer.”
The District Spelling Bee was held at the RCPS administrative offices, facilitated once again by
Joe LeGault. The event was sponsored by Radford University and the Scripps National Spelling
Bee organization.
LeGault told students before the competition began that they were already champions because
they had won the bees at their individual schools.
Twenty students from across the district competed in the spelling bee. In addition to the Vinton
area students and winner Pinnamaraju, they included Colton Riske (Back Creek), Emma
Marshburn (Burlington), Willow Mommer (Cave Spring Elementary), Sawyer Yow
(Clearbrook), Glendall Bacon (Fort Lewis), Brandon Ngo (Glen Cove), Audry Noell (Glenvar
Elementary), Riley Flora (Green Valley), Isaac Wimmer (Masons Cove), Dylan Padilla Garcia
(Mountain View), Abram Mitchell (Oak Grove), Ahaan Menon (Penn Forest), Chaeden Darius
(Hidden Valley Middle) Matthew Gard (Glenvar Middle) and Amiel Hosey (Northside Middle).
(Audry Noell is the daughter of William Byrd High School Principal Evan Noell.)
LeGault explained to the audience, mostly made up of parents, that the spelling bee words called
come from the Scripps word list. Students are allowed to use strategies to improve their chances
of spelling the words correctly by asking for the words to be repeated, for their definition, for the
word to be used in a sentence, and/or for the word’s language of origin.
This spelling bee featured a double elimination format– students had to spell two words
incorrectly before being eliminated from the competition, not just one. The purpose of this
format is so that “the best speller, not the luckiest speller, advances to regional competition,”
LeGault explained.
To win the spelling bee, the final student standing also had to spell a championship word. Many
of the words called were quite challenging, such as ferruginous, halcyon, acrogeria, and
effleurage, leading to puzzled looks by even the adults in the room when they were called.
Educators say that while there are many tools to assist with spelling, it still remains an important
skill to master. Studies show that proficiency in spelling supports both reading and writing
composition.
The Roanoke County students not only displayed skill in spelling but a great deal of poise,
concentration, and grace under pressure, especially this year when the bee lasted for over two
hours.
According to Scripps, the National Spelling Bee has been held every year since 1925, with slight
pauses for WWII and the recent pandemic. The bee’s roots are drawn from the 1800s, when
smaller and more local grassroots competitions occurred across the states. They used a popular
spelling book by Noah Webster (of later dictionary fame) that sought to standardize spelling and
remove British forms such as the “ou” in “colour” and the “k” from “musick.” The Scripps
National Spelling Bee carries on the tradition by using the Merriam-Webster dictionary as its
source of words to this day.
Generally, only English-speaking countries host spelling bees, because other languages tend to
be simpler with one letter representing one sound. English has 26 letters in the alphabet, but over
44 individual sounds depending on the variation of spoken English.
~RCPS and Vinton Messenger staff
