SAN BERNARDINO, CA—Six middle school students took top honors at the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Spelling Bee on Jan. 28 at Indian Springs High School. Each of the eight participating elementary and middle schools were allowed to send up to their three top spellers to compete for the honor of being the Districtwide Spelling Bee Champion.
First place went to Richardson PREP HI Middle School’s Keith Johnson after correctly spelling the word “talcum.” Rodriguez Prep Academy’s Arianna Fox and Sebastian Avelar earned second and third place, respectively. Fourth place was a three-way tie between Serrano Middle School’s Isaiahs Cervantes, Del Vallejo Leadership and STEAM Academy’s Aiden Noflin and Chavez Middle School’s Matthew Rubio.
The top two winners from each school site’s spelling bee qualified to advance to the San Bernardino County Spelling Bee Online Preliminary Round. Those students are: Chavez’s Lilyanna Specht and Matthew Rubio, Curtis Middle School’s Hope Chambers and Diana Sanchez, Del Rosa Elementary’s L’Oreal Coates and Jason Nieves, Del Vallejo’s Aiden Noflin and Steven Mendez, Lytle Creek Elementary’s Noah Chavez and Sophia Islas, Richardson PREP HI’s Keith Johnson and Mateo Lopez, Rodriguez Prep Academy’s Arianna Fox and Ayaan Sharma and Serrano’s Isaiahs Cervantes.
According to Secondary Education, College and Career Program Specialist Asifa Geerlings, this follows the progression of qualifying events outlined by Scripps. The purpose of the Districtwide Spelling Bee is both to give the top two spellers from each site additional opportunities to compete on stage prior to the county competition and to recognize the top spellers from across the District’s elementary and middle schools.
SBCUSD students competing in the San Bernardino County Spelling Bee have the potential to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee depending on how well they do in the county competition. The San Bernardino County Spelling Bee Online Preliminary Round is scheduled for Feb. 24 and 25.
About San Bernardino City Unified School District:
The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) is California’s ninth-largest school district and is dedicated to providing a high-quality education that prepares students for college, career and life. With a focus on equity, excellence and empowerment, the District serves a diverse student population in the San Bernardino and Highland communities. For more information about SBCUSD, visit www.sbcusd.com and follow the District @SBCityUSD on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and LinkedIn.
