Seventh-grade student Phaneendra Bulusu of Harris Road Middle School was crowned the 2025 Cabarrus County Schools’ District Spelling Bee Champion on Thursday in a competition held at Roberta Road Middle School.

In the 10th round, Phaneendra correctly spelled the Bee’s championship word – vignette – to win his third straight District Spelling Bee.

He will now advance to compete in the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee, presented by Bank of America, on Sunday, March 9th at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Atharv Anup, a fifth-grade student from Patriots STEM Elementary School was the runner-up. 

Twenty-nine students competed in the District Bee representing their elementary and middle schools. The spelling bee is open to students in grades three through eight.

Congratulations, Phaneendra, and good luck at the Regional!

Photos from the 2025 CCS Spelling Bee

2024-25 School Level Spelling Bee Winners:

Lilly Heilman, Royal Oaks School of the Arts, 8th grade
Demarco Malcom, Roberta Road Middle, 7th grade
Mariah Baker, Charles E. Boger Elementary, 5th grade
Gianni Soto, Mt. Pleasant Elementary, 5th grade
Alexis Chambers, A.T. Allen Elementary, 5th grade
Gabriel Bailey, Wolf Meadow Elementary, 4th grade
Krishiv Shah, Harrisburg Elementary, 5th grade
Saharsh Harinarayanan, Northwest Cabarrus Middle, 6th grade
Nidhi Ambavaram, W.R. Odell Elementary, 5th grade
Navya Solanki, Hickory Ridge Elementary, 5th grade
Eli Seno, Weddington Hills Elementary, 5th grade
Hanshika Vasanth Gayanthri, CC Griffin Middle, 7th grade
lan Wall, Carl A. Furr Elementary, 5th grade
Corrina LeRoy, Pitts School Road Elementary, 4th grade
George Kincel, W.M. Irvin Elementary, 5th grade
Kennedi Edwards, Concord Middle, 6th grade
Ashley Jara Aliaga, Rocky River Elementary, 5th grade
Thanvi Muniasamy Sasikala, Bethel Elementary, 4th grade
Adrian Jackson, Hickory Ridge Middle, 8th grade
Annie DuVall, R. Brown McAllister Elementary, 5th grade
Arkadii Krasnoshapka, Cabarrus Virtual Academy, 8th grade
Atharv Anup, Patriots Elementary, 5th grade
Sohan Nelapati, Coltrane-Webb Elementary, 5th grade
Landon Fullam, Mt. Pleasant Middle, 7th grade
Phaneendra Bulusu, Harris Road Middle, 7th grade
Francesco Iorizzo, Winecoff Elementary, 3rd grade
Manvitha Srinivasaprasad, H.E. Winkler Middle, 6th grade
Naga Tejaswi "Teju" Namburi, Cox Mill Elementary, 5th grade
Lohith Aadithya Pon Mariappan Dheepti Manokaran, J.N. Fries Middle, 8th grade