Walnut Valley Board Honors Spelling Bee Winners

Chaparral Middle School student Justin Chuang was honored by the Walnut Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees April 25 for taking first place in the Inland Valley Spelling Bee.

Chuang, an eighth grader, won the grand prize and will be headed to Washington, D.C. in late May to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

The twelve year old won after 15 rounds of competition, his final word being “mordacious.” He was one of 31 students to compete in the March 31 event, held at Mt. SAC.

“It was astonishing when I realized that I had won the competition,” he said.

Chuang said he started practicing daily in September, using a special software program on the computer. For winning the competition, Chuang received a large trophy, which he presented to Principal Ron Thibodeaux during the meeting. The trophy will now be displayed in a case at Chaparral.

“We’re very proud to have Justin as a Cougar,” Thibodeaux said. “You cannot mention the successes of our students without mentioning their parents. Justin’s parents have been instrumental in his success.” 

William Widjaja, an eighth grader at Suzanne Middle School in Walnut, and Jordin Wang, a fifth grader at Collegewood Elementary in Walnut, were also honored for coming in second and third place, respectively. 

The Spelling Bee was sponsored by the Diamond Bar Friends of the Library, and the organization will fund Chuang’s trip to Washington D.C., according to WVUSD Board Member Nancy Lyons.