Students Tackle Spelling One Letter at a Time Advancing to Scripps National Spelling Bee

MORENO VALLEY >> The stakes were high and the pressure was on for the 29 students competing in the 39th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee, held at the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Throughout the eighteen stressful rounds and intricate words to be spelled, a winner emerged: Aisha Randhawa. The fifth-grader at Garretson Elementary School from the Corona-Norco Unified School District is going to represent Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland this May. “Ambrosia” — the word Randhawa will remember forever — the word that she spelled correctly making her the winner of the 39th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee. “I thought about it for a second,” Randhawa said while explaining her thought process when she was on stage. “But I was pretty sure I knew it.” Eighth-grader from Desert Springs Middle School, John Terry, placed second. Getting caught by the word “obdurate” in Round 17, Randhawa went on to correctly spell the word “cologne” then leading her to the next word “ambrosia” where she clinched her title. Randhawa’s next step is the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will be held in Maryland. “Probably competing at the event,” she said in response to what she’s looking forward to most about her upcoming trip to Maryland. “Also, maybe getting to see the Washington Monument,” she added. Santa Fe Kiler, seventh-grader from Menifee Valley Middle School took the third-place crown while the fourth-place title was shared among three students: San Gorgonio Middle sixth-grader Katherine Spusta, Western Center Academy eighth-grader Aaliyah Webster, and Lakeside Middle eigth-grader Nathaniel Moreno. Among the other talented participants included Air Force Colonel Aaron Heick’s ten-year-old son Benjamin. Heick, former spelling bee participant, left a legacy for his son as he placed second in 1985 and 1986, and placed first in 1987 and 1988. He set a record within Riverside County, as a seventh-grader, in the year of 1987; he placed fifth, overall at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Heick shared, “My experiences in spelling bees helped me learn how to perform under pressure, how to practice and study toward a big goal. I learned about disciplining and preparing myself and that was definitely helpful in the Air Force.” Participant Mumtahina Tajrian, sixth-grader at Vista Heights Middle School was representing Moreno Valley at the County Spelling Bee. Just like every participant, Tajrian has big plans for her future. She said, “Nobody knows how the future will turn out, but I aspire to become a pediatrician or surgeon. I entered the spelling bee because I wanted to prove to myself that hard work and dedication pays off.” Sixth-grader Chioma Amadi from the California Military Institute in Perris, among the rest of his peers, went great lengths preparing for this day. “I studied a lot. I even studied when I went to Nigeria over our winter break,” said Amadi. “I entered the spelling bee because I enjoy spelling and consider myself a ‘grammar freak’.” Andon Lieu, sixth-grader at Thompson Middle School, represented Murrieta Valley. Aside from spelling, Lieu is interested in sports including baseball and football. He aspires to a basketball player, a lawyer, or the president. Another ambitious participant, sixth-grader at Margaret White Elementary School, Xavier Herrera has bright plans for his future. “My future ambitions are to become a baseball player or join NASA and study aliens,” he added. “The reason I entered the spelling bee is because I get bullied and I didn’t let that bring me down. It made me try something new and prove that because I study hard I can adapt to new things.”