The Hillsborough Township Committee dedicated a portion of its July 9 meeting to recognize one particular young student for his prominent academic skills.
At the meeting, Mayor Frank DelCore and the committee members honored Aritra Banerjee for having succeeded to the elite group of finalists in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Aritra was the winner of the Auten Road Intermediate School Spelling Bee in 2019 and then represented his school, and won the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey’s fourth annual Spectacular Spelling Bee.
Aritra went on to represent Somerset County New Jersey in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., making it to the elite group of the top 50 national finalists, ranking 17th overall.
Township officials said Aritra serves as an example to the youth of Hillsborough Township through his achievements and that the township is “lucky to have Aritra as a member of the community.”
Following a proclamation reading from DelCore, which was granted to Aritra, the student expressed his experiences from the competition as well as his appreciation to multiple individuals in the community who supported his academic journey such as his family, friends, Auten Road school and the the township committee members for recognizing him.
“As a spelling bee contestant, I can say that the spelling bee has taught me many valuable lessons that will stay with me for the rest of my life beyond spelling word after word,” Aritra said. “The spelling bee is so important because it promotes the use of language and without language; we would not be able to communicate very well.”