Kromrey Middle School eighth grader Arnav Vempati will compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee at DAR Constitution Hall, near the White House, in Washington, D.C., May 26-28.
Vempati is the first student to represent the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District in the national spelling bee, according to a press release from the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District. He qualified after earning second place at the 2026 Badger State Spelling Bee on March 21, along with first-place winner Ethan Robert of New Berlin. Vempati also qualified for the Wisconsin State Spelling Bee in 2025 but didn’t advance to the national level.
“I am most excited to meet all the other spellers and get a feel for what a national spelling bee is like,” Vempati said in a statement. “I had set a goal for myself to go to the national spelling bee after I got out in state last year, so it is a dream come true to be able to compete this year, as it is my last chance in the spelling bee.”
Vempati has been busy preparing for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is open to students up to eighth grade. There will be 247 spelling bee champions from across the country competing for the Scripps Cup this year.
“There is a list of words provided that you can study, and I use the helpful Word Club app to study these,” Vempati said. “However, not all rounds use these words, so it is also very important to study language patterns and stems from different languages. These stems, or roots, can help you a lot as they are contained within many words, so if you know the stems, you have a higher chance of spelling words correctly.”
The spelling starts on Tuesday, May 26, and finals will be on Thursday, May 28. It will be live-streamed at spellingbee.com.
“I am so grateful that our District supports these opportunities,” said Maria Nygard, advanced learning specialist at Glacier Creek and Kromrey middle schools. “They recognize that a spelling bee offers a unique platform for students to shine in the academic arena.”
