Student Reaches National Spelling Bee Again

Rithvi Balajee, an 8th grader at Stratford Middle School in Pleasanton, qualified for the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee for the second straight year. (patch.com) Balajee won one of four spots at the San Ramon Valley Rotary Club’s Regional Spelling Bee, held March 29 at the San Ramon Community Center. The other regional winners were Ishani Dashgupta, Navika Joseph and Aiden Meng. (patch.com) (sanramonvalleyrotary.com) The regional field included 63 students, with the four winners finishing ahead of 59 other Bay Area qualifiers. Balajee’s school is listed by the Rotary club as Stratford School in Pleasanton. (patch.com) (sanramonvalleyrotary.com) The national bee is scheduled for May 26-28, 2026, in Washington, and Scripps says a full competition schedule will be posted beginning May 1. The program starts with school and regional bees before sending champions to the national stage each spring. (spellingbee.com 1) (spellingbee.com 2) Balajee already has a national track record. In 2025, Scripps lists her as a 13-year-old seventh grader sponsored by the San Ramon Valley Rotary Club, and Patch reported that she reached the semifinals. (spellingbee.com) (patch.com) The bee’s scale is much larger than a single regional contest. Scripps says more than 10 million students begin the spelling bee journey each fall before school champions move into regional competitions and, for a small group, the national event in May. (spellingbee.com 1) (spellingbee.com 2) For the Tri-Valley area, Balajee’s return adds to a recent run of deep performances. Patch reported that San Ramon seventh grader Dhruv Subramanian placed fifth nationally in 2023. (patch.com) Balajee heads back to Washington with a year of national experience and another regional win behind her. The next test comes in late May, when the field narrows from local champions to one national winner. (patch.com) (spellingbee.com)