• Castro Valley, Dublin, and Fremont Students advance to State Spelling Bee Championships

    At the annual Alameda County Elementary and Junior High School Spelling Bee on March 18, the top eight students were honored after successfully completing multiple rounds of intense spelling challenges. Approximately 70 students from nine Alameda County school districts competed at the event hosted by the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE).

    Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe offered her compliments to the participants, stating “Congratulations to all of the students who competed, and especially to our county winners. I wish you all the best as you represent your school, district, and county at the state competitions.”

    In addition to ACOE staff who organized the event, Alameda County Board of Education Trustees Aisha Knowles, Yvonne Cerrato, and Amber Childress were in attendance cheering on students. Trustee Knowles, who serves as the County Board’s Countywide Events Advisor, stated, “It is a joy to watch our County’s students come together in friendly competition, supporting each other when disappointed by a misspelled word and cheering each other on with each successful spelling.”

    The winning word for the Elementary Spelling Bee was “rotisserie,” spelled correctly by Anita Simon, 6th grader at Creekside Middle School in Castro Valley USD. The Junior High Spelling Bee winning word, “smorgasbord,” was spelled correctly by Aarush Aitha, 8th grade student at Fallon Middle School in Dublin USD.

    Below are the students who were honored last Saturday:

    Alameda County Elementary Spelling Bee winners (7 rounds):

    • *1st Place: Anita Simon, 6th grade, Creekside Middle School (Castro Valley USD)
    • *2nd Place: Pradyum Gaddam, 4th grade, Niles Elementary (Fremont USD)
    • 3rd Place: Nevanmee Kurulugama, 6th grade, Mendenhall Middle (Livermore Valley Joint USD)
    • 4th Place: Ruijia Gu, 5th grade, Dayton Elementary (San Lorenzo USD)

    *Will compete at the State Elementary Bee on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton.

    Alameda County Junior High Spelling Bee winners (5 rounds):

    • **1st Place: Aarush Aitha, 8th grade, Fallon Middle School (Dublin USD)
    • **2nd Place: Vishal Venkatesh, 8th grade, Fallon Middle School (Dublin USD)
    • 3rd Place: Sage Plaisted, 7th grade Hillcrest School, (Oakland USD)
    • 4th Place: Max Gochman, 7th grade, Montera Middle School (Oakland USD)

    **Will compete at the State Junior High Bee on Saturday, May 6, 2017 at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, CA. See photos of the Spelling Bee