Lake Elsinore USD Students Earn Spots In 2024 RivCo Spelling Bee

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — More than two dozen competitors will bring their word power into play Thursday for the 46th annual Riverside County Spelling Bee, featuring last year's champion returning to attempt to carry on a family tradition of owning the top speller mantle.

The free public event is slated to start at 9 a.m. in the county Office of Education's Conference Center, 4280 Brockton Ave., in Riverside.

"The competitors in the Riverside County Spelling Bee are demonstrating far more than their impressive mastery of words," Superintendent of Schools Edwin Gomez said. "Students are also learning valuable skills for their future by way of their commitment to prepare, the self-discipline to study and the self-confidence to step up to the stage as a public speaker."

A total of 27 youths in grades 4 to 8 from public, private and charter schools are signed up to participate, including the 2023 winner, Avijeet Randhawa, who came out on top after correctly spelling "forbs," a plant species.

Corona-Norco Unified School District's Avijeet endured multiple rounds over three hours to become the third person in his family to claim top honors in the countywide event. The Auburndale Intermediate School student, now in the eighth grade, said he makes it a habit to learn and repeat 500 to 800 words daily.

Avijeet's family has formed a quasi-dynasty on the academic stage in Riverside County. In 2022, his sister, Lara Randhawa, claimed the county championship title after correctly spelling "cumulocirrus," which is an upper atmosphere cloud.

Lara, who previously attended Auburndale Intermediate, also took top honors in the county's 2021 virtual bee.

Corona-Norco Unified School District’s Aisha Randhawa laid the groundwork for her younger siblings' success, winning local championship titles in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, paving the way for her to compete nationally in each of those years.

The bees in 2021 and 2022 were virtual. The 2020 bee was nixed when then-county Health Officer Cameron Kaiser declared a COVID public health emergency. The 2021 and 2022 events were held online due to ongoing precautionary measures implemented by the Office of Education.

The winner of this year's event will represent the county at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, scheduled for May 28-30 at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, officials said.

The county bees began in 1978.

Spellers making a return visit to the Riverside County competition include:

— Profess Adhikari , Springs Charter School s - Grade 7
— Devin Barcello, Chammakilawish Pechanga School - Grade 5
— Parker Buchanan, Santa Rosa Academy - Grade 5
— Elijah Decano , Menifee Union SD - Grade 5
— Sabine Gimenez, Mission Vista Academy - Grade 7
— Alexa Magaña , Coachella Valley USD - Grade 7
— Victoria Michael-Taiwo , Lake Elsinore USD - Grade 5
— Nirvaan Nettimi , Desert Sands USD - Grade 5
— Avijeet Randhawa , Corona-Norco USD - Grade 8
— Chris Isaac Tabaloc , Beaumont USD - Grade 7

Participants in the 46th Riverside County Spelling Bee include (*indicates alternates):

Alvord USD
Alina Granados , Arizona Middle School - Grade 8
* Matthew Taylor , Ysmael Villegas Middle School - Grade 6

Banning USD
Zaden Zamudio , Hemmerling Elementary School - Grade 4
* Ricco Winslow , Central Elementary School - Grade 4

Beaumont USD
Chris Isaac Tabaloc , Mountain View Middle School - Grade 7
* Dean Lukacs , Three Rings Ranch Elementary School - Grade 5

Chammakilawish Pechanga School
Devin Barcello, Chammakilawish Pechanga School - Grade 5

Coachella Valley USD
Alexa Magaña , Toro Canyon Middle School - Grade 7
* Alijah Torosio , Westside School - Grade 6

Corona-Norco USD
Avijeet Randhawa , Auburndale Intermediate - Grade 8
* Matthew Mitra , Philistine Rondo School of Discovery - Grade 4

Desert Center USD
Drew Castor , Eagle Mountain School - Grade 6
* Mason Villafana , Eagle Mountain School - Grade 7

Desert Sands USD
Marlo Bachli , Palm Desert Charter Middle School - Grade 7
* Nirvaan Nettimi , George Washington Charter School - Grade 5

Hemet USD
Esteban (Stevie) Castro , Cawston Elementary School - Grade 5
* Aniza Mira Malumay , Acacia Middle School - Grade 7

Lake Elsinore USD
Victoria Michael-Taiwo , Tuscany Hills Elementary School - Grade 5
* Daniel Aguirre , Earl Warren Elementary School - Grade 5

Menifee Union SD
Elijah Decano , Southshore Elementary School - Grade 5
* Karla Carapia , Menifee Valley Middle School - Grade 8

Mission Vista Academy
Sabine Gimenez, Mission Vista Academy - Grade 7

Moreno Valley USD
Clarabelle Khuc , Sunnymead Middle School - Grade 8
* Aiden Saint-Aubin , Seneca Elementary School - Grade 4

Murrieta Valley USD

Ketandy Reyes , Rail Ranch Elementary School - Grade 5
* Elias Dominguez , Warm Springs Middle School – Grade 7

Nuview Union SD
Bailey Hayman , Valley View Elementary School - Grade 4
* Briella Perez , Nuview Elementary School - Grade 4

Palm Springs USD
Brittanie Holly Ilustrisimo , James Workman Middle School - Grade 8

Palm Valley School
Sahasra Ogili , Palm Valley School - Grade 4
* Mark Huber , Palm Valley School - Grade 5

Palo Verde USD
Daniel Milke , Ruth Brown Elementary School - Grade 7

REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Johnny Gomez , REACH Leadership STEAM Academy - Grade 5
* Melaku Heikaus-Weaver , REACH Leadership STEAM Academy - Grade 4

Riverside USD
Kaden Yin , Mark Twain Elementary School - Grade 4
* Liam Blanford , Mark Twain Elementary School - Grade 6

Romoland SD
Benjamin Curcie , Harvest Valley Elementary School - Grade 5
* Olivia Mosby , Romoland Elementary School - Grade 4

Santa Rosa Academy

Parker Buchanan, Santa Rosa Academy - Grade 5

Springs Charter Schools
Profess Adhikari , River Springs Charter School - Grade 7
* Hunter Brooks , River Springs Charter School - Grade 8

Temecula International Academy
Raven Moreno , Temecula International Academy - Grade 6
* Bryce Peterson , Temecula International Academy - Grade 4

Temecula Valley USD
Kiyara Gunawardena , Abby Reinke Elementary School - Grade 4
* Ethan Fu , Temecula Luiseno Elementary School - Grade 4

Val Verde USD
Nathan Nyugen , Lakeside Middle School - Grade 8
* Tri Turner , Lasselle Elementary School - Grade 4

Van Avery Prep
Isaac Vo , Van Avery Prep - Grade 7
* Lillien Winiger , Van Avery Prep - Grade 7

—City News Service contributed to this report.