The 2025 Hudson County Spelling Bee took place last Saturday at High Tech High School in Laurel Hill Park, Secaucus.
This event gathered 76 students from different schools across the county, all competing for the top spot.
The students, ranging from third to eighth grade, had already proven their skills by winning their individual school spelling bee.
Now, they had the chance to test their knowledge against the best spellers in the county.
- Three students from Secaucus participated in the Hudson County Spelling Bee, competing against 73 other students.
- Ishaan Gupta, an 11-year-old sixth grader from Jersey City, won by correctly spelling “guan” in the seventh round.
- The competition featured students from different Hudson County schools. The top performers advanced after multiple rounds of intense spelling challenges.
Secaucus Students Compete and Advance Through Rounds
Among the many students who participated, three from Secaucus earned their place in the competition.
Eric Francis from Clarendon Elementary School advanced to the sixth round before being eliminated.
Vidhan Dangol from Huber Street Elementary School made it to the fourth round.
Aryan Bansal from Secaucus Middle School also competed until the fourth round.
Each of them worked hard to reach this level and faced strong competition from other students.
The spelling bee followed the usual format: Each student had to spell a word correctly to advance to the next round.
If they made a mistake, they were eliminated.
The words became more difficult as the rounds continued, and the number of remaining contestants slowly decreased.
Ishaan Gupta Wins After Seven Rounds
As the competition went on, students kept spelling challenging words correctly, leading to a tough battle among the top spellers.
After several rounds, Ishaan Gupta, an 11-year-old sixth grader from Jersey City, won the spelling bee in the seventh round.
The final word that secured his victory was “guan,” which is a type of bird found in the South American rainforest.
Gupta will now represent Hudson County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland later this year.
His performance throughout the competition showed his strong spelling skills and ability to stay focused under pressure.
Marina Saad, a 14-year-old eighth grader from Bayonne, came in second place.
Jasmine Dalmas, a 10-year-old fifth grader from Jersey City, placed third.
Both students showed impressive spelling abilities and lasted through multiple rounds before being eliminated.
Students From Across Hudson County Compete in Multiple Rounds
The competition featured students from public schools, charter schools, and private academies throughout Hudson County.
Some contestants lasted for several rounds before being eliminated, while others advanced to the final stages of the event.
A few students, such as Austin Dingle from Dr. Paul Rafalides PS 33 in Jersey City, Jeremy Quiles from Ezra Nolan Middle School 40 in Jersey City, and Harshini Putta from Franklin L. Williams Middle School 7 in Jersey City, made it to the seventh round before being eliminated.
Others who performed well included Jaylynn Rivera from Hudson-ASCS Middle School in Kearny, McKensey Martin from James Murray Elementary School 38 in Jersey City, and Kriti Kattamuri from Jotham W. Wakeman School 6 in Jersey City, all of whom also advanced to the seventh round.
Meanwhile, Eric Francis from Clarendon Elementary School in Secaucus lasted until the sixth round.
Vidhan Dangol from Huber Street Elementary School and Aryan Bansal from Secaucus Middle School competed until the fourth round.
The event was attended by students from Jersey City, Bayonne, Hoboken, Secaucus, Union City, Kearny, Guttenberg, and Weehawken.
Each participant had already proven their spelling ability by winning school-level contests, so the county competition was filled with talented and well-prepared students.
Hudson County’s Representative Heads to National Competition
With the county competition now complete, Ishaan Gupta will advance to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
This national competition features top spellers from across the country and tests their knowledge of complex words.
Hudson County Executive Craig Guy acknowledged the students’ efforts, stating that the county is proud of all the participants and looks forward to seeing Ishaan Gupta compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
