Neha Gupte, a sixth-grader at Lincoln Middle School, won the 2021 Alachua District Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the name of a legendary Scottish paradise that never changes Brigadoon.
“I didn’t know the story of Brigadoon, but I was able to sound it out,” said Neha after the competition. “My mom also used that word during one of our practices, so I’d already heard it.”
Neha was one of 28 fifth- through eighth-graders from public, charter, private and homeschool settings who competed recently for the title of the district’s top speller. Because of COVID-19, the competition was held through Zoom with a very limited audience.