After more than 350 words and 23 rounds (including vocabulary), 12-year-old sixth grader Sarv Dharavane from Peachtree Middle School in Dunwoody on March 20 won the 65th Annual Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) State Spelling Bee for the third consecutive year.
He will get the opportunity to better his third-place finish at the Scripps Bee championships in 2025, according to a release from the GAE.
He, along with runner-up, seventh grader Sreeya Lakkimsetti, 13 from Stallings Middle School in Columbia County, will both represent Georgia in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championships in Washington, D.C., May 24-29.
In the 22nd round, after Lakkimsetti misspelled the word Okavango (a river in southwest Africa), Dharavane correctly spelled the next two words, aitchbone (a cow’s hipbone) and simal (an East Indian silk-cotton tree), to become the state’s spelling champion for the third consecutive year.
He was confident in the first word, aitchbone, nodding vigorously, and quickly spelled it correctly, but on Simal, he asked for the definition, country of origin, and pronunciation several times before acing the final test.
“I am extremely happy. More like ecstatic. I’m completely in nirvana,” Dharavane said, according to the release. “I’ve come a long, long, long way to get here. I could have only done this because of every single person who has helped me along the way, including my principal and family.”
“Congratulations to both Sarv, for the third time, and Sreeya, her first time, along with all of these outstanding young spellers,” said GAE President Lisa Morgan in the release. “It’s inspiring to see the growth they’ve shown and the confidence they’ve demonstrated under the pressure of competition. We wish our two finalists and their families the very best as they head to Maryland to represent Georgia on the national stage.”
As winners, both received an all-expenses-paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee and $1,000 (GAE), an Apple iPad Mini, and other prizes.
The 20 spellers in the state final, ranging from 9 to 14 years old, from fourth through eighth grades hailed from Walker, Catoosa, Forsyth, Cobb, Cherokee, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, Heard, Clayton, Muscogee, Houston, Columbia, Wayne, Effingham, Lowndes, Colquitt, and Clarke counties.
The group was the last standing out of 1,531 students from the following school categories: 1,424 public (including state and system charters), 79 private, 15 parochial, five virtual, four individual homeschools, and four homeschool associations.
Dharavane in 2024, as a fourth grader, came in 22nd on the national stage, and in 2025, just fell short, placing third overall in the 100th year of the contest.