DENVER — When the Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off later this month, two Colorado spellers will be among those competing for the top prize.
Aditi Muthukumar, 13, and Cooper Edwards, 11, will represent Colorado at the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., that begins with the preliminaries on May 29. There are 249 spellers in the competition this year from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and other countries.
Aditi is a returning competitor who tied for 74th place in last year's spelling bee. She's an avid reader who also enjoys writing short stories, bike-riding, performing Indian classical dance and playing the flute. She's president of her student council and vice president of her school's National Junior Honor Society chapter, according to her bio.
Aditi attends Hulstrom K-8 in Northglenn and is sponsored by The Denver Post.
Cooper is a fifth-grader at Niwot Elementary School in Niwot and is the winner of the Boulder Valley Regional Spelling Bee, according to St. Vrain Valley Schools. He won the regional competition by correctly spelling the word "crocus."
Cooper's hobbies include athletics and music. He qualified for the Colorado state swim championships in nine events and can run a mile in under six minutes. He's also lead guitarist and lead singer of his band, the Night Owls, according to his bio. He's an avid Denver Nuggets fan, and his favorite athlete is Nikola Jokić.
Cooper is sponsored by Boulder Valley School District.
The semifinals of the National Spelling Bee will air live on ION on May 29, and the finals will air live on May 30.
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