These Cincinnati students are heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee đ
Two Cincinnati-area students will travel to National Harbor, Maryland, this month to compete in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Tara Rakesh, a 13-year-old who attends Ballyshannon Middle School, is among the ranks, as well as 13-year-old Sahana Srikanth, who goes to Mason Middle School. Both students are sponsored by WCPO.
Sophia Lopez, a 14-year-old from Springfield, Ohio, is also a contestant. The spelling bee has a total of 234 participants.
Tara previously competed in the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee and tied for 31st place. Sahana also competed last year and tied for 76th place.
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For the first time in its 97-year history, the National Spelling Bee will be broadcast on ION and Bounce. The E.W. Scripps Company announced the shift away from ESPN, where it aired for 27 years, to ION and Bounce in October. The company purchased ION in January of 2021.
The 2022 National Spelling Bee will take place May 29 through June 2. Preliminaries start at 9 a.m. on May 31 and quarterfinals begin at 8 a.m. on June 1. Semifinals will be live-streamed around 4 p.m. on June 1, followed by the finals at 8 p.m. on June 2.
All contestants will walk away with prizes, but the champion will win a combined $52,500, an official trophy and more.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee: Cincinnati students to compete
