Eighth-grader Nikita Ramakrishnan bested 86 spellers to win the Fairfax County Spelling Bee March 23.
Ramakrishnan, a student at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, claimed the title after spelling “xanthic,” an adjective of Greek origin meaning “colored with some tint of yellow – used of a flower.”
Coming in second was Nargiza Muzhapaer of Pinnacle Academy in Chantilly. Muzhapaer will join Ramakrishnan at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Muzhapaer finished second in the Fairfax bee last year, meaning she’ll be making her second appearance at the national bee, according to organizers.
Third-grader Laasya Mohan of Floris Elementary in Herndon was the second runner-up and will serve as the alternate for Ramakrishnan and Muzhapaer.
Ramakrishnan and Muzhapaer will represent the Fairfax County Council PTA and the region of Fairfax County and Alexandria City in the Scripps bee.
The finalists were:
- Aprameyan Ramanujan — 5th grade, Spring Hill Elementary, McLean
- Humza Rawn — 5th grade, Al Fatih Academy, Reston
- Alex Price — 6th grade, Glasgow Middle, Alexandria
- Leo Patterson — 6th grade, George Washington Middle, Alexandria City
- Beatrix Darielle Dolojan — 6th grade, Holy Spirit School, Annandale
- Aaron Erdman — 7th grade, Thoreau Middle, Vienna
- Hidayah Rizvi — 7th grade, Al-Asr Microschool, Clifton
- Ameya Rajeev — 8th grade, Katherine Johnson Middle, Fairfax
- Muyiwa Lagbaja — 8th grade, Immanuel Christian School, Springfield
Photo via Fairfax County Spelling Bee/Facebook. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
