Visalia student Sarvadnya Kadam finishes in 23rd in Scripps National Spelling Bee

Lauren Jennings, Visalia Times-Delta
·1 min read

Sarvadnya Kadam traveled to Washington D.C. over the holiday weekend, and unlike many others, he wasn’t on vacation — the Oak Grove Elementary School student was there to compete.

Kadam was declared the 24th annual Tulare County Spelling Championship winner on March 9 after going head-to-head for 15 rounds at the Tulare County Office of Education, beating out last year’s winner, Ridgeview Middle School’s Bryce Melgar.

Kadam moved to New York City from India when he was just 6 years old, with no knowledge of the English language. On Wednesday, at 12 years old, he made it through the quarterfinals and into the Scripps National Spelling Bee semifinals.

“We as parents feel very proud of him... He found his place on the stage as a confident speller,” Kadam's mother, Sandhya said. “We are looking forward to work[ing] harder and com[ing] back next year.”

Kadam finished the competition tied for 23rd — the highest of any of the 23 spellers sent to D.C. from Tulare County in the past.

Sarvadnya Kadam placed first Thursday, March 9, 2023 during Tulare County Spelling Bee at the Tulare County Office of Education in Visalia.
Sarvadnya Kadam placed first Thursday, March 9, 2023 during Tulare County Spelling Bee at the Tulare County Office of Education in Visalia.

When the sixth grader competed in the Tulare County competition, he qualified for the preliminary round with “ormolu,” a gold-colored metal used in decorating furniture and ornaments. Throughout the competition, he also spelled “liaise,” “weald,” “Terre Haute,” “agoraphobia,” and “wilco” correctly.

The majority of words used during the bee are selected from the "Words of the Champions," a Scripps National Spelling Bee study resource.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee finals are scheduled to air on ION from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 1. Each round is being streamed live on ION plus.

The Tulare County Spelling Bee is sponsored by the Visalia Times-Delta in coordination with TCOE.

Lauren Jennings covers education and news for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow her on Twitter @lolojennings. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Sarvadnya Kadam finishes in 23rd in 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee