Coachella Valley Sixth-Grader Advances To National Spelling Bee

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A Coachella Valley sixth-grader is heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee after her spectacular finish Wednesday in the Riverside County Office of Education Spelling Bee.

Faith Zapata, who attends Palm View Elementary School in the Coachella Valley Unified School District, tied for second place in the prestigious event that saw 27 of the county's best young spellers vie for a chance to move on to the national bee slated for Memorial Day weekend at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

For the second year in a row, the same Corona-Norco Unified School District student claimed the Riverside County Office of Education Spelling Bee championship title Wednesday, correctly spelling out the name of a cloud and earning a place in the national competition.

Lara Randhawa, an eighth-grader from Auburndale Intermediate School, gave the correct answer to the spelling of "cumulocirrus" at the end of the 2022 virtual competition, which put her in first place.

Lara, whose family has formed a quasi-dynasty on the academic stage in Riverside County thanks to multiple wins by her sister in spelling bees during the previous decade, said she appreciates word knowledge for how it factors into "various aspects of life."

"The definitions can help you with vocabulary and writing, and with how eloquently you speak," she said. "Studying the roots helps you piece together words to find out definitions of words you don't know."

Lara also took top honors in the county's 2021 virtual bee. Her sister, Aisha Randhawa, laid the groundwork for her younger sibling's 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 most exciting part of going to the National Spelling Bee is being able to represent the people who have helped me — my parents, my classmates, my dad and my sister have all helped me," Lara said.

Lara beat out Faith and seventh-grader John Folsom from Van Avery Preparatory School in Temecula, who both tied for second place.

Faith was knocked out of the running for the championship title when she misspelled "schizophrenia," and John was displaced when he misspelled "vespacide."

Lara, John and Faith will all compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The county bee featured the 27 spellers from Riverside County charter schools, private schools, and school districts. Top finishers at this year’s bee included:

1 st Place – Lara Randhawa*, Grade 8, Auburndale Intermediate School, Corona-Norco USD
2 nd Place (tie) – John Folsom*, Grade 7, Van Avery Preparatory School
2 nd Place (tie) – Faith Zapata*, Grade 6, Palm View Elementary School, Coachella Valley USD
4 th Place (tie) – Hayley Foo, Grade 6, James L. Day Middle School, Temecula Valley USD
4 th Place (tie) – Parvaneh Hunter, Grade 4, Estudillo Elementary School, San Jacinto USD
* Advances to Scripps National Spelling Bee to represent Riverside County.

Beyond admission to the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition, the prize pack for finishing in
the top three at the Riverside County Spelling Bee includes:
—The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award — a 2022 United States Mint Proof Set
—A one-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium
—A one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, the official dictionary of
the Scripps National Spelling Bee