Twenty-seven Riverside County students participated in the 2022 Riverside County Spelling Bee which was held virtually for the second year in a row, while also ending with the same result as 2021.
Lara Randhawa, an 8th grade student from Auburndale Intermediate School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, repeated as champion when she correctly spelled the word “cumulocirrus” in the 11th round. In the 10th round, Faith Zabata, a 6th grade student from Palm View Elementary School in Coachella Valley Unified School District, misspelled “schizophrenia”, and John Folsom, a 7th grade student from Van Avery Preparatory School, incorrectly spelled “vespacide.” Zabata and Folsom finished tied for second place.
For 2022, the top three spellers will represent Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee will take place the week of Memorial Day at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Visit spellingbee.com beginning May 1, 2022, for a full competition schedule.
Lara Randhawa’s second consecutive championship, follows the four consecutive championships from 2016 to 2019 by her older sister, Aisha Randhawa.
“My favorite thing about spelling is how it helps you in various aspects of life. The definitions can help you with vocabulary and writing, and with how eloquently you speak. Studying the roots helps you piece together words to find out definitions of words you don’t know.” Lara said immediately after being named the champion of the 2022 Riverside County Spelling Bee. “The most exciting part of going to the National Spelling Bee is being able to represent the people that have helped me, my parents, my classmates, my dad, and my sister have all helped me. And, my district coordinators and everybody around me has supported me in my spelling.”
Conducted exclusively on Zoom with integrity measures in place to ensure fair competition, spellers and judges worked through hundreds of words during the event that lasted nearly three hours.
2022 Riverside County Virtual Spelling Bee Final Standings
The bee featured 27 spellers from Riverside County charter schools, private schools, and school districts. Top finishers at this year’s bee included:
1st Place – Lara Randhawa*, Grade 8, Auburndale Intermediate School, Corona-Norco USD
2nd Place (tie) – John Folsom*, Grade 7, Van Avery Preparatory School
2nd Place (tie) – Faith Zapata*, Grade 6, Palm View Elementary School, Coachella Valley USD
4th Place (tie) – Hayley Foo, Grade 6, James L. Day Middle School, Temecula Valley USD
4th Place (tie) – Parvaneh Hunter, Grade 4, Estudillo Elementary School, San Jacinto USD
* Advances to Scripps National Spelling Bee to represent Riverside County
Beyond admission to the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition, the prize pack for finishing in the top three at the Riverside County Spelling Bee includes:
- The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award — a 2022 United States Mint Proof Set
- A one-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium
- A one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
For more local news and information click here.