Words like magnanimous, silhouette, irrevocable, paparazzi and abaculus resounded off the walls of a packed auditorium on a recent Saturday as Aurora Public Schools held its first districtwide spelling bee.
The experience, which brought together over 130 students ranging from third to eighth grade across 35 schools, not only tested the competitors’ spelling skills but also helped serve a bigger purpose.
“The event was a vibrant realization of our ‘community hub’ vision,” explained Lisa Conner, Director of Advanced Academics & Gifted Services. “It was inspiring to see students from different grade levels and neighborhoods interacting—not just as competitors, but as peers supporting one another. The energy in the room highlighted how powerful it is when we bring our different schools together to focus on a shared goal.”
Vedanth Raju, an eighth grader from Aurora Quest, emerged as champion, while Lucia Xian, a fifth grader from Aurora Quest, earned runner-up honors.
“It was exciting because it’s always a good opportunity to learn new things,” Raju said after the first round. “It helped that I practiced the study lists and other words, so it’s been fun.”
The top 17 finishers will now advance to the next phase, which involves a qualifying exam to determine who will compete at the Colorado State Spelling Bee held at the University of Denver on March 7.
Last year, Raju won the 85th Annual Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee to earn his spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where he placed in the top ten overall. He was subsequently honored by Mayor Mike Coffman, who declared March 25, 2025, as "Vedanth Raju Day." Vedanth’s older brother Vikram, a fellow Aurora Quest student, previously finished in second place at the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee after a historic spell-off.
Conner and her office look forward to continuing this new district tradition, which arose out of a desire to create a celebratory space where academic effort was recognized with the same enthusiasm as any other major school milestone.
“Our primary goal was to strengthen the role of our schools as community hubs and to create a joyful space where students could showcase their talents and feel proud of their hard work,” Conner said. “By bringing families and schools together, we strengthened connections and reinforced the idea that academic success is something our entire community celebrates.”
A Community Effort
The APS Office of Advanced Academics and Gifted Services extends its sincere gratitude to the students, families, staff and schools who helped make the inaugural APS District Spelling Bee a huge success. The event highlighted the incredible talent of APS students while bringing the community together to celebrate literacy, learning and sportsmanship.
APS looks forward to growing this new tradition and creating even more opportunities for students to shine in the years ahead!