{"id":607,"date":"2026-05-21T23:32:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=607"},"modified":"2026-05-21T23:32:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:32:58","slug":"three-arizona-teens-to-compete-in-scripps-spelling-bee-in-washington-d-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=607","title":{"rendered":"Three Arizona teens to compete in Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C."},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX \u2014 Three 14-year-olds from Arizona are heading to Washington, D.C., to compete against 244 of the nation’s top spellers for the prestigious Scripps Cup.<\/p>\n

Read more Shelter-in-place lifted in Sedona following police situation<\/a><\/p>\n

Koen Harvey, Esha Marupudi, and Smriti Parajuli earned their spots at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, held at DAR Constitution Hall, after stellar performances at Arizona’s state competition.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at the three spellers representing Arizona:<\/p>\n

Koen Harvey<\/h2>\n

Hailing from Window Rock, Koen is a student at Tsaile Elementary School. <\/p>\n

When he isn’t studying the dictionary, Koen loves playing basketball and PC games, with a particular favorite being Geometry Dash<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Esha Marupudi<\/h2>\n

Esha, a student at BASIS Chandler, is no stranger to the national stage.<\/p>\n

After reaching the finals of the 2025 Scripps Spelling Bee, Esha secured her return trip by winning the 2026 Arizona Spelling Bee.<\/p>\n

Outside of spelling, Esha is a creative spirit who enjoys playing the piano, composing her own music, and world-building through Lego and fantasy novels.<\/p>\n

Her favorite subjects are biology and history, and she dreams of visiting France to explore its castles, tour its museums, and enjoy the local cuisine.<\/p>\n

Read more Immigrant detainee pleads with ICE to let her have surgery<\/a><\/p>\n

Smriti Parajuli<\/h2>\n

Smriti, a student at Centennial Middle School in Yuma, has been spelling competitively since winning her fifth-grade classroom bee.<\/p>\n

Though this will be her first and final appearance at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Smriti brings a strong record of academic excellence and leadership, having recently run for student council vice president.<\/p>\n

In her free time, Smriti enjoys diving into a good book, traveling to new places, and spending quality time with family and friends.<\/p>\n

She hopes to one day visit New York City to catch a performance on Broadway.<\/p>\n

How to watch<\/h2>\n

Don’t miss all of the spelling bee action!<\/p>\n

The preliminaries and quarterfinals will air on Scripps Sports May 26-27, followed by the semifinals and finals on ION from May 27-28.<\/p>\n

Read more We need water! Help Valley families this summer with our Water Drive benefiting St. Vincent de Paul<\/a><\/p>\n

For more on the TV broadcast schedule, click here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three 14-year-olds from Arizona are heading to Washington, D.C., to compete against 244 of the nation’s top spellers for the prestigious Scripps Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arizona-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThree Arizona teens to compete in Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=607\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three Arizona teens to compete in Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. - 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