Upper St. Clair student wins Western Pa. Spelling Bee for third time

Upper St. Clair student wins third Western Pa. Spelling Bee

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- An eighth grader from the Upper St. Clair School District has become the Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee champion for the third time in five years!

Ranna Parchuri attends Fort Couch Middle School and is the first three-time champion since 1999.

Parchuri first won the competition in 2020 as a 4th grader before winning it again last year and now this year as an eighth grader.

Ranna Parchuri, an eighth grader from Fort Couch Middle School in the Upper St. Clair School District won the Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee for the third time in five years over the weekend. Submitted

77 students participated in the regional qualifier for the event and Parchuri came out on top on Sunday after competing for more than two hours against 15 other finalists at the Pittsburgh Playhouse on Point Park University's campus in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Parchuri won the competition by correctly spelling the word 'phenology.'

In May, Parchuri will represent the Western Pa. region when he attends and competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Mike Darnay

Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at KDKA-TV/CBS News Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent. He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and high school sports.

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