Students From Temecula Competing In Riverside County Spelling Bee

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Students from Temecula will vie this week in the 48th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee.

Temecula Luiseno Elementary School 5th-grader Riya Rakesh is representing the Temecula Valley Unified School District. Eric Vizcarra, a Bella Vista Middle School 8th grader, is the alternate.

Students from nearby charter and/or private schools competing in this week's Bee include: Ajay Pico-Tinsley, Chámmakilawish Pechanga School - Grade 5; Chloe Williams, Temecula International Academy - Grade 5; and Haleya Vasquez, Van Avery Prep - Grade 8. James Trujillo, Van Avery Prep - Grade 8, and Raven Moreno, Temecula International Academy - Grade 8, are alternates.

The county contest starts at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, at the Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center (4280 Brockton Avenue, Riverside). The event is free and open to the public.

A total of 29 Riverside County students from grades 4 to 8 are competing for a spot in the May 26-28 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

"We welcome all the champions from school and district level competitions to showcase their expertise, self-discipline, and poise at the 48th Annual Riverside County Spelling Bee," said
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. "I look forward to seeing who will represent Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May."

Five returning spellers, including the 2025 champion, are among the 29 students competing in the county contest.

In 2025, Victoria Li, a 6th-grader from the Philistine Rondo School of Discovery in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, was named the Riverside County champion after 3.5 hours and 23 rounds of competition.

Spellers making a return visit to the Riverside County competition include:
—Ella Brock, Banning USD - Grade 6 (2025 participant)
—Parker Buchanan, Santa Rosa Academy - Grade 7 (2024 participant)
—Drew Castor, Desert Center USD – Grade 7 (2024 and 2025 participant)
—Esteban Castro, Hemet USD - Grade 7 (2024 participant)
—Victoria Li, Corona-Norco USD - Grade 7 (2025 participant)

All the 2026 Riverside County Spelling Bee participants (*indicates alternates):
Alvord USD
Eslin Sines, Wells Middle School - Grade 8
*Alan Castaneda, Ysmael Villegas Middle School - Grade 8
Banning USD
Ella Brock, Nicolet Middle School - Grade 6
*Viviana Duran, Hemmerling Elementary School - Grade 5
Beaumont USD
Ezio Camerino, San Gorgonio Middle School - Grade 8
*Jamie Park, Mountain View Middle School - Grade 7
Chámmakilawish Pechanga School
Ajay Pico-Tinsley, Chámmakilawish Pechanga School - Grade 5
Coachella Valley USD
Jayleen Contreras, North Shore Elementary School - Grade 6
*Jasmine Lopez, Valley View Elementary School - Grade 6
Cornerstone Christian School
Celine Danan, Cornerstone Christian School - Grade 4
*Landon Carroll, Cornerstone Christian School - Grade 5
Corona-Norco USD
Victoria Li, Dr. Augustine Ramirez Intermediate School - Grade 7
*Vienna Zhou, El Cerrito Middle School - Grade 8
Desert Center USD
Drew Castor, Eagle Mountain School - Grade 8
*Aaliyah Mendoza - Eagle Mountain School - Grade 8
Desert Sands USD
Henry Russell, Palm Desert Charter Middle School - Grade 6
Hemet USD
Esteban Castro, Rancho Viejo Middle School - Grade 7
*Justice Turner, Dartmouth Middle School - Grade 8

Lake Elsinore USD
Adrian Garcia, Alberhill Elementary School - Grade 5
*Parysa Tavakkoli, Luiseno School - Grade 4
Menifee Union SD
Sree Peddinti, Evans Ranch Elementary School - Grade 5
*Ben Cota, Harvest Hill STEAM Academy - Grade 8
Mission Vista Academy
Clair Wallis, Mission Vista Academy - Grade 5
Moreno Valley USD
Ameiyah Mendoza, Butterfield Language Academy - Grade 8
*Caleb Huerta, Mountain View Middle School - Grade 7
Murrieta Valley USD
Alicia Chen, Dorothy McElhinney Middle School - Grade 6
*Ryan Koh, Warm Springs Middle School - Grade 6
Nuview Union SD
Logan Rivera, Valley View Elementary School - Grade 5
Palm Springs USD
Juniper Donovan, Nellie N. Coffman Middle School - Grade 8
*Marigold Donovan, Rancho Mirage Elementary School - Grade 4
Palm Valley School
Malayna Ristaino, Palm Valley School - Grade 5
Palo Verde USD
Jacob Schliekelman, Ruth Brown Elementary School - Grade 6
REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Melaku Heikaus-Weaver, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy - Grade 6
*Thomas Schmidt, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy - Grade 5
Riverside USD
Senitha Weerakoon, John F. Kennedy Elementary School - Grade 6
*Jessi Kalapala, Mark Twain Elementary School - Grade 5

Romoland SD
Aaliyah Alexander, Granite Hills TK-8 School - Grade 7
*Edwin Wright, Mesa View Elementary School - Grade 4
Santa Rosa Academy
Parker Buchanan, Santa Rosa Academy - Grade 7
*Arianna Simmons, Santa Rosa Academy - Grade 8
Springs Charter Schools
Harper Lovato, River Springs Charter School - Grade 7
*Karissa Rose, River Springs Charter School - Grade 8
Temecula International Academy
Chloe Williams, Temecula International Academy - Grade 5
*Raven Moreno, Temecula International Academy - Grade 8
Temecula Valley USD
Riya Rakesh, Temecula Luiseno Elementary School - Grade 5
*Eric Vizcarra, Bella Vista Middle School - Grade 8
The Learning Center
Afia Rahman, The Learning Center - Grade 6
*Alina Aqil, The Learning Center - Grade 5
Val Verde USD
Jovi Lin, Vista Verde Middle School - Grade 8
*Carolina Lopez, March Middle School - Grade 8
Van Avery Prep
Haleya Vasquez, Van Avery Prep - Grade 8
*James Trujillo, Van Avery Prep - Grade 8