Gardner Edgerton USD 231 had the pleasure of hosting the 2026 Johnson County Spelling Bee on Saturday, January 10, at Gardner Edgerton High School. The annual event brought together elementary and middle school students from across Johnson County, with over 100 students competing across three preliminary sessions.
Each preliminary round showcased impressive focus and stamina, with contestants completing 99 words in 1 hour and 16 minutes in Round 1, 103 words in 1 hour and 25 minutes in Round 2, and 113 words in just 1 hour and 12 minutes in Round 3. The top four spellers from each session advanced to the Championship Round held later that afternoon.
The Championship Round included an intense 57 rounds of spelling. At the end of the day, the competition crowned Co-Champions:
Purvik Byregowda, Pleasant Ridge Middle School in Blue Valley School District
and
Jiya Bhavsar, Indian Hills Middle School in Shawnee Mission School District.
Other top finishers included:
3rd Place: Camden Lindsey, Overland Trail Middle
4th Place: Reyansh Kaul, Aspen Grove Elementary
5th Place: Tristan Ludwig, Spring Hill Middle School
6th Place: Kassaye Liya, Trail Ridge Middle School
7th Place: Aiza Shah, Liberty View Elementary
8th Place: Aakash Chalamalasetti, Aubrey Bend Middle
9th Place: Lincoln Dunlay, Prairie Trail Middle
10th Place: Matteo Besa Neckelmann, Indian Woods Middle
11th Place: Caspian Karstens, California Trail Middle
12th Place: Hudson Topp, Arbor Creek Elementary
USD 231 is proud to have hosted such a successful event and congratulates all participants for their hard work, dedication, and outstanding spelling achievements.