Spelling Bee Champ at Arcola: Mallika Dinakar

Methacton School District announced that seventh-grade student Mallika Dinakar was the final student standing when Arcola Intermediate School's annual spelling bee drew to a close.

According to a release issued by the district, the field of 25 students was whittled down to two – Dinakar and eighth-grader Peter Ditzler—when Dinakar sealed the win by correctly spelling "oscilloscope."

Dinakar will now compete in the 65th annual Times Herald Spelling Bee in March for a chance to earn a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. this May. If Dinakar unable to compete in March, Ditzler will take her place.

[Editorial note: In a cruel twist of irony, we originally misspelled the word "oscilloscope" in this story, leaving out the "c". The correction has been made.]