Temecula Valley USD, RS Charter Students Excel In County Spelling Bee

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA—The 46th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee concluded with Avijeet Randhawa, an eighth-grade student from Auburndale Intermediate School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, clinching the championship title for the second consecutive year.

Victoria Michael-Taiwo, a fifth-grade student from Tuscany Hills Elementary School in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District, who was the runner-up last year, repeated her runner-up victory this year. Additionally, Kiyara Gunawardena, a fourth-grade student from Abby Reinke Elementary School in the Temecula Valley Unified School District, and Profess Adhikari, a seventh-grade student from River Springs Charter School, secured a tie for third place this year.

Avijeet's victory signifies his individual achievement and continues an extraordinary family legacy in Riverside County Spelling Bee competitions.

Following in the footsteps of his older sisters, Lara (2021 and 2022 champion), and Aisha (2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 champion), Avijeet's win represents the family's eighth consecutive victory in the Riverside County Spelling Bee. Following his consecutive wins, Avijeet Randhawa will once again represent Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 26-31 in Maryland.

“I’d like to congratulate all the students who participated in this year’s Riverside County Spelling Bee and wish Avijeet Randhawa the best of luck as he represents all of Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez.

A total of 26 Riverside County students competed in the 46th edition of the Riverside County competition. Avijeet Randhawa's triumph came after 19 rounds of competition. In the final round, he secured victory by correctly spelling the word "crescendo."

“I’ve been getting up at 4:30 a.m. every morning and studying for 5-7 hours every day for the last few months in preparation for this event,” Avijeet said. “I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed as I go to the national competition.”