Avijeet Randhawa, 12, of Corona, competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Randhawa qualified for the final round of the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 31. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Of the four Southern California students who made it to the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Wednesday, May 31, only one is still standing.
Avijeet Randhawa, a Corona resident who won the Riverside County Spelling Bee, is one of 56 spellers advancing to the last round of the quarterfinals at the bee in Maryland. Aaron Lim, of Orange County; Jupharnoor Singh, of San Bernardino County; and Justin Tran of Los Angeles County; have been removed.
Of the original 231 contestants in the national contest, 121 were left at the end of the preliminaries on Tuesday, May 31.
Another Southern California speller, Phoebe Laguna, a fifth-grader at Granite Mountain Charter School in Lucerne Valley, misidentified a word in the second round of preliminaries Tuesday. She tied for 140th place with the other contestants eliminated in that round.
As Wednesday morning’s quarterfinals continue, here’s an update from the local contestants.
Aaron Lim
Lim, an eighth-grader at El Rancho Charter School in Anaheim, was removed Wednesday after misspelling “ovine,” which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “local introduction of sheep pox virus into the body as previously practiced to induce immunity or reduce severity. of the disease”, as “ovation”.
Avijeet Randhawa
In the first round of the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Randhawa, a seventh grader at Auburndale Middle School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, correctly spelled “chumble,” which means “gnaw” or “chew.”
In the next round, he correctly answered his question word: “A gourmet is someone who enjoys: a fine dining experience.”
Randhawa must correctly spell one more word to reach the semifinals.
“I am very proud of myself, but also nervous about tomorrow,” Randhawa said in an email Tuesday night.
Asked if he plans to try to return for next year’s National Bee, he said “Yes, absolutely!”
She credits the support of her family (two sisters previously spelled in the national bee) and spelling resources, including Spellpundit.com, as contributing factors to her success in spelling bees.
Jupharnoor Singh
Singh misspelled “euclase”, which is “a mineral consisting of a brittle silicate of beryllium aluminum in pale yellow, green or blue prismatic crystals and is used especially as a gemstone”, as “euclase”, removing it from the list. competence.
In an email Wednesday morning, Singh, an eighth grader at Heritage Middle School in the Etiwanda School District, said he is “honored and challenged to compete against the best spellers from around the world.”
“It has been a dream come true to get to this stage,” he said, thanking his teachers, principal, school district and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools for making it possible.
justin tran
Tran, an eighth-grader at Chaparral Middle School in the Walnut Valley Unified School District, was eliminated after misspelling “flong,” defined as “a sheet (as of several layers of tissue paper superimposed on a sheet of heavier paper) used to make a stereotyped matrix”, such as “flaung”.
“My family has played a huge role in my spelling journey,” Tran said in an email Tuesday. “They help me study, they encourage me and they are always there when I need them. Without their continued support, I doubt I’d be here at Nationals today.”
Whats Next
Lim, Singh and Tran tied for 74th place, along with other entrants eliminated during that quarterfinal round.
With the bee limited to students in eighth grade and below, this was the final bee for Tran and Lim.
Randhawa will compete in the last round of the quarterfinals later on Wednesday.
The semifinals and finals will air on ION on Wednesday, May 31 and Thursday, June 1 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. Each round can also be streamed on Spellingbee.com, ION Plus, or Bounce XL.
Click here to view or learn more.
The City News Service contributed to this report.
