A young champion from DeKalb County is taking his linguistic prowess to the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition later this month. Sarv Dharavane, the 10-year-old state spelling bee champ from Austin Elementary School, claimed his ticket to the prestigious event after successfully spelling the word "dashiki" back in March, WABE reports.
The fourth grader's triumph has granted him not only the state title, but also a place among the 245 national competitors converging on National Harbor, Maryland, on May 28. His journey was celebrated with an outpour of support from his school, where students and teachers lauded the young champ's achievement with applause and cheers. "The entire fourth grade was doing it. And that made me feel like energetic," Dharavane said during an interview. "I could do this. I can do this."
Despite his recent success, Sarv appears to be taking his achievements in stride, seemingly underplaying the impressiveness of the feat. "He doesn’t seem to understand how impressive it is," Austin Elementary’s principal Avis Mooneyhan remarked, acknowledging the significance of Sarv's accomplishment. His parents, Shilpa Tupe and Shailesh Dharavane, watched proudly as their son addressed his peers, radiating joy and pride.
Yet, as Sarv prepares for his national spelling bee debut, he expressed a mix of gratitude and disbelief about his accomplishment. "I have no idea how I’m here," he mused, "But I know that it’s because I’ve prepared and people have helped me along the way." Sarv also shared some words of advice for other kids with aspirations of spelling glory: "Read your books," he noted. "If you don’t read books, you’re never gonna get anywhere."
