Aanya Mehta is a whiz at spelling words.
And two words that she not only can easily spell, but are the words that will accompany her while she completes her final year attending the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School.
Repeat Champion
That best describes this 8th Grader, who successfully defended her title by winning the annual Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School Spelling Bee on Thursday, January 22.
She and 21 of her Middle School schoolmates gathered on the school’s auditorium stage that morning to compete for the coveted title of Spelling Bee champion for 2025-2026.
These gifted scholars were joined by Lindsay Rath, a Latin Teacher by trade but also the dedicated Spelling Bee Coordinator and Pronouncer.
Ms. Rath was assisted by six Middle School staff members who served as judges.
The judges were:
Kelley Beahan
Alyssa Carothers
Melissa Kardos
Lori Macsata
Julia Meisterich
Nicole Zivkovic
Once the 12th round began, the only students still standing on stage were Aanya and Sahishn Bangaru. They remained in contention for the title while the other 20 students were eliminated and sat in the audience to watch the showdown.
But when Sahishn was incorrect in spelling his word, it was then that Aanya thought that she could repeat as the champion.
“Sahishn is really good and I did not think I had a chance to win,” Aanya revealed. “But when he got his word wrong, then I knew I could have a chance to win.”
She did that by correctly spelling the word PARANEPHRIC.
She requested the meaning and usage, which helped her solve the puzzle
“I never heard of that word,” she admitted. “ But I thought it was similar to parallel, so I thought I could use that to help me.”
According to Merriam-Webster, the adjective Paranephric means “adjacent to the kidney.”
Last year, while as a 7th Grader, she won the Spelling Bee by correctly spelling EGOTISTICAL
This year, Aanya stood alone after competing in the largest field ever assembled under Ms. Rath’s guidance.
“This is my fourth year running the Spelling Bee, and this year marks the most students we have ever had make it to the finals,” Ms. Rath said. “We went through 12 rounds of spelling to get down to our one winner, Aanya Mehta!”
The next step for Aanya will be to represent the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School at the Regional Spelling Bee, to be held at the South Orange Performing Arts Center on March 8 for the second year in a row.
For now, she will bask in the glory of being known as the Spelling Bee Champion for the second straight year at the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School.
“I never thought that I could win again because there were more kids in the competition. Yes, I am surprised that I did.”
Here are the 22 Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School students who competed in the final round on Thursday, January 22
Aanya Mehta
Aashi Raina
Aashutosh Vyas
Adithi Srinivasan
Aditya Barauh
Anirvinya Polisetty
Vani Chakradeo
Daksha Samadurai
Dheshna Ishi Kambala
Gautam Vadhri
Isaac Guo
Kirett Attanit
Nathan Penumudi
Owen Jones
Parnashri Yalala
Radissa Wlbawa
Roshan PraveenKumar
Sahishn Bangaru
Samantha Sanchez
Tanusri Kondle
Vicky Sun
Zimeng Kang