Alvin Independent School District has another reason to be proud. Recently one of its students earned local and national attention at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Aditya Chemudupaty from Pearland is a student at Nolan Ryan Junior High in the Alvin Independent School District. He was one of 41 semifinalists in the spelling bee and when eliminated, was just one of 11 spellers who remained in the competitions. Rankings indicate that he is tied for 12th in the country.  After competing against hundreds of students from around the county, Chemudupaty, Speller No. 255, got stuck on the word 'grenache' and spelled it incorrectly as 'granache'.

Chemudupaty was one of 41 semifinalists in the spelling bee. When he was eliminated, there were only 11 spellers left. Rankings indicate that he is tied for 12th in the country.

His fellow classmates, educators in the Alvin district and the Houston area are proud of his accomplishments. Chemudupaty is an accomplished seventh-grader just for making it to the competition, which only accepted 293 contestants. The purpose of the spelling bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.

His school, Nolan Ryan Junior High, is one of three outstanding schools that serve children living in Lakes of Savannah, located just minutes from SH 288 in the Pearland area. New homes by top Houston builders are priced from the  $140,000s to the $300,000s and new models are now open in the community. Visitors can tour beautifully decorated model homes by Lennar, Brighton Homes and J. Patrick Homes.

In addition to Nolan Ryan Junior High, students in Lakes of Savannah students attend Savannah Lakes Elementary, which is right in the community and Manvel High School. All three schools are among the newest in the TEA Recognized Alvin Independent School District.