Young word wizards take home top honors at Merced County Spelling Bees
These students were on point, spelling words like "resuscitate" and "ventriloquist" flawlessly
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By CVJC STAFF
There was no stopping several young wordsmiths from schools in the Merced City School District this week.
The students from schools in the district took home first place in both Merced County Spelling Bees, hosted by the Merced County Office of Education.
In the elementary competition, Aliyah Bebero, a fifth grader from Peterson Elementary School, secured the top spot with the word “resuscitate,” according to a news release from MCOE.
Aanashra Afrooz and Amelia Hampton, both sixth grade students from Luther Burbank Elementary, claimed second and third place, respectively.
In the junior high competition, Rishabh Saha, an eighth grader at Cruickshank Middle School and runner up at the 2022 California State Spelling Bee, earned first place with the word “ventriloquist,” the release said.
Lawrence Ye, a seventh grader at Hoover Middle School, secured second place, while Anisha Jain, an eighth grader at Our Lady of Mercy, claimed third place.
The first and second place winners from each competition will now advance to the state championship in April.
There, they will represent Merced County at the California State Spelling Bee in Stockton, according to the release.
The study suggestion list is provided by the San Joaquin County Office of Education, which holds the Elementary and Junior High State Spelling Bee Championships.
MCOE Director of Human Resources Stacy Shasky served as the word moderator for the elementary competition.
MCOE Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Laura Fong moderated the junior high competition.
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