National Spelling Bee: Anaheim, Yorba Linda Progress To Third Round

ANAHEIM, CA — Two Orange County students are going to the third round and are hopeful candidates to win the 90th annual Scripps Spelling Bee for 2017.

An eighth-grader from Torrance and a seventh-grader from Yorba Linda correctly spelled their second-round words Wednesday at the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland.

Jennifer Lau, an eighth-grader who attends Calle Mayor Middle School, correctly spelled exogenous, an adjective meaning due to external causes.

Winston Zuo, a seventh-grader at Fairmont Private Schools Historic Anaheim Campus, correctly spelled tendresse, a noun meaning fondness.

Jennifer and Winston will return to the stage at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center later Wednesday for the third round.

Spellers correctly spelling their third-round word can be among the maximum of 50 spellers advancing to Thursday's semifinals if their score on a test of 12 hand- written spelling words and 14 multiple-choice vocabulary questions is high enough. The test is considered the bee's first round.

A misspelling in either the second or third round means the contestant is eliminated. The semifinalists are scheduled to be announced at approximately 3 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) following the conclusion of the third round.

The second and third rounds will be shown by the broadband network ESPN3 from 5-9:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.-3 p.m.

Jennifer qualified for the national bee by winning the Los Angeles County Scripps Regional†Spelling Bee†on March 12. Her final word was ursine, an adjective meaning of, relating to or characteristic of a bear.

Jennifer finished second in the 2015 regional bee. Her older brother Timothy won the 2014 regional bee and finished 13th in the national bee.

Jennifer writes for her school newspaper, chronicling visits to new restaurants. She said her favorite subject in school is biology and she would like to pursue a career in medicine. She volunteers weekly at church.

Winston qualified by winning the Orange County Spelling Bee Feb. 25. His final word was terete, an adjective meaning slender and smooth with a circular transverse section.

Winston said he really loves reading because it makes him relax and feel happy. He also said he likes writing, is good at math and science, and loves visiting natural history and science museums.

The bee is limited to students in eighth grade or below, with contestants ranging in age from 6 to 15 years old.

The field of 291 spellers consists of students who won locally sponsored bees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, along with American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense schools in Europe.

Six foreign nations are also represented -- the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea.

The bee's purpose is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives, organizers said.

The winner will receive $40,000 from Scripps, which owns television stations and newspapers; a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and complete reference library from the dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster; and $400 in reference works from Encyclopaedia Britannica and a three-year membership to Britannica Online Premium, plus trips to Hollywood to appear on the ABC late-night program "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and New York City to appear on the syndicated morning talk show "Live with Kelly and Ryan."

No speller from Los Angeles or Orange counties has won the bee.

City News Service contributed to this report.

photo courtesy of Scripps National Spelling Bee