Westwood Student to Compete in Regional Spelling Bee

Thurston Middle School student Aisha Chandraker will compete in a regional spelling bee next week in an effort to qualify for entry into the Scripps National Spelling Bee in June.

Chandraker, a seventh grader at , recently won a qualifying spelling bee in a tie-breaker by spelling the word “treacle,” according to a news release this week. The victory earned her a spot to the Comcast South Shore Regional Spelling Bee, which will be held at Lombardo’s in Randolph next Saturday, March 5. 

“We are proud to be sponsoring the Comcast South Shore Regional Spelling Bee as part of our ongoing commitment to invest in the local communities we serve,” Steve Hackley, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Greater Boston Region, said in a statement this week. “We are very excited to see Aisha at the regional competition and we look forward to sending a student from the South Shore to Washington, D.C. to compete at the national bee in June for the third year in a row.”

Chandraker will compete against 22 other students at next week’s spelling bee, the winner of which Comcast will send with one escort on a six-night trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the national bee.

“We are grateful to Comcast for sponsoring this competition for the third straight year, as this is such a great opportunity for local students on the South Shore to receive public recognition as academic ‘All Stars,’” Lisa Morrissey of LIDO Consulting Group, who organizes the regional bee, said in a statement. “This is a great showcase for local students who want to put their spelling knowledge to the ultimate test.”

Those interested in viewing next week’s regional spelling bee can do so through the “Get Local” section of Comcast’s On-Demand menu (for those who are Comcast customers). Footage will be available in late March.