After 19 rounds of an intense spelling bee competition, Austin Elementary School fifth-grader Sarv Dharavane reclaimed his title as DeKalb County School District (DCSD) Spelling Bee Champion on January 28. Sarv won his second consecutive District spelling bee title on the word “bruxism,” a condition where a person grinds, clenches, or gnashes their teeth.

Sarv and eight other DCSD students qualified for the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) Region 4 Spelling Bee on February 22. The eight other students who qualified after competing in the District’s spelling bee competition were:

  • Adhvik Ravikumar, Vanderlyn Elementary (runner-up)
  • Chelsea Mao, Chamblee Middle (second runner-up)
  • Rastagar Ali, Columbia Middle
  • Akash Chakrabarti, Henderson Middle
  • Arib Rahman, Peachtree Charter Middle
  • Ondrej Szorad, The Museum School of Avondale Estates
  • Mubarek Alhassan, Tucker Middle
  • Humaira Rizvi, Wadsworth Magnet

The GAE Bee is the next step in the competition before the Georgia State Bee and the Scripps National Bee.

Last year, Sarv advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee after winning the 63rd Annual GAE State Spelling Bee. He made it to the semifinals of the national competition.

To view photos from the District’s spelling bee competition, click the link: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBZLgo.

To view the entire DCSD Spelling Bee competition, click the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxQ5cbojkBI