Creekside Park Junior High student to again represent Tomball ISD at Scripps National Spelling Bee

Tomball ISD student Ishika Varipilli is headed to the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May, representing the district for the second time in the nationally televised competition.

According to a March 27 news release from TISD, Varipilli represented the district at the 2023 Scripps Regional Spelling Bee hosted by Houston Community College—previously the Houston public Media Spelling Bee—and earned her trip to the National Spelling Bee as one of three first place winners in the regional competition.

According to information from Houston Community College, the top three spellers from the regional bee advance to the national competition; the regional bee is the culmination of school-level and area spelling bees earlier this year.

Varipilli has represented TISD at the regional bee for four years in a row and is headed to the national competition for the second straight year, according to TISD.

According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, regional partners host regional spelling bees in February and March with champions advancing to the national competition; more than 200 spellers from across the U.S. and the world are expected to take part in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.

Variplilli earned a winning spot in the regional bee with the word "solivagant" after nine rounds in the nearly six-hour regional competition, according to the release.

As a national contestant, Varipilli earned an all-expenses paid trip to the Washington, D.C., area for the Scripps National Spelling Bee to be held May 28-June 2.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee launched in 1925 and is the national's largest and longest-running educational program, according to the release.