More than two dozen students to compete in Countywide spelling bee

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.

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.  

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.