Franklin Township Honors Cedar Hill Prep Students for Competition Achievements

Somerset NJ students recognized for top finishes in Future City, World Challenge and NAQT national competitions.

Mar. 27, 2026 at 12:20am

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Students from Cedar Hill Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey were honored by the Franklin Township Mayor and Council for their outstanding performances in several academic competitions, including a second-place finish against teams from 20 nations at an international problem-solving challenge.

Why it matters

The recognition of these students' achievements highlights the academic excellence and competitive success of Cedar Hill Prep, a private school in Franklin Township that has been designated as a Blue Ribbon school nationally. Their performance in these competitions demonstrates the caliber of education and extracurricular opportunities available at the school.

The details

The students were honored for their accomplishments in three major competitions: the Future City Competition, the World Challenge, and the NAQT National Championship. In the Future City Competition, Cedar Hill's middle school team placed second out of 56 regional teams, designing an engineered model of a zero-waste future city. In the World Challenge, a Future Problem Solvers competition with participants from 20 countries, Cedar Hill teams swept the top placements in the Middle School and Junior Divisions. Additionally, eight Cedar Hill scholars qualified for the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Middle School National Championship, placing the school among only 160 middle school programs selected nationwide.

  • Yajur Subramaniam won the Regional Scripps Spelling Bee earlier this year and will represent Franklin Township at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May.
  • The Future City Competition regional finals took place in 2025-26.
  • The 2025-26 World Challenge competition was held.

The players

Yajur Subramaniam

A student at Cedar Hill Preparatory School who won the Regional Scripps Spelling Bee and will represent Franklin Township at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Nan

The chief educational officer of Cedar Hill Preparatory School.

Ram Anbarasan

A Franklin Township councilman who brought the students before the council to recognize their achievements.

Phillip Kramer

The mayor of Franklin Township.

Sangeeta Lekhi and Yasmeen Villafranca

The teachers who coached the Cedar Hill Prep Future City team.

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What they’re saying

“I have only seen spelling bee stars on TV, but now we have one here — potentially a national champion.”

— Ram Anbarasan, Franklin Township Councilman

“These kids competed against other students from New Zealand, China, Colombia, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Turkey and from 13 U.S. states… They were placed second in the world, guys. So this is a phenomenal achievement and a big hand for the team.”

— Ram Anbarasan, Franklin Township Councilman

What’s next

Yajur Subramaniam will represent Franklin Township at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May.

The takeaway

The recognition of Cedar Hill Prep students' achievements in regional, national, and international academic competitions highlights the school's commitment to providing a high-quality education and fostering students' intellectual growth and problem-solving skills.