With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Scripps National Spelling Bee Welcomes 5 SoCal Students To The Quarterfinals
Spellers look on during their round at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on May 28, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. There were 245 spellers competing in the first two rounds of the competition.
(
Anna Moneymaker
/
Getty Images
)
Five middle schoolers from across Southern California have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The kid contestants include a sixth grader from Los Angeles, a 13-year-old from Orange County, a pair of San Bernardino County students, and an eighth grader who is representing Riverside County for the second year in a row.
The SoCal spellers will take on 143 other young hopefuls from across the country Wednesday morning for the quarterfinals in National Harbor, Maryland. A contestant from any of those counties has never won the bee.
You can tune in here starting at 5 a.m. PT to cheer them on.
Sponsored message
Representing Los Angeles
Would you be able to spell “doxycycline” on a national stage? Well, Oliver Halkett did just that on Tuesday to secure his spot in the quarterfinals.
Halkett is in sixth grade at The Mirman School in Brentwood Heights.
The 12-year-old was named this year’s California State Elementary Spelling Bee champion, the first L.A. County student to ever take home the state’s top spelling prize, according to L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez.
KTLA SPELLING BEE 🐝@MarkKriski, @SamOnTV, @FrankBuckleyTV take on @LosAngelesCOE Spelling Bee champ Oliver Halkett. pic.twitter.com/cHCCdzXlIS
— KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) April 22, 2024
Halkett loves to read The Economist weekly, play piano, and cook new recipes with his mom, according to his speller slide.
Meet Orange County’s contestant
Katelyn Nguyen, 13, successfully spelled the word “durbar” in the preliminaries to make it to the next round.
Sponsored message
She is a seventh grader at Helen Stacey Middle School in Huntington Beach and considers the Scripps National Spelling Bee her proudest achievement yet, according to her speller slide.
Nguyen enjoys reading, playing Genshin Impact, and practicing martial arts — she is a blue belt in aikido, after all.
Representing Riverside, again
Avijeet “Avi” Randhawa is a 13-year-old representing Riverside County for the second consecutive year.
The eighth grader from Auburndale Intermediate School in Corona tied for 12th place in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Randhawa and his older sisters have formed a spelling dynasty — the family has taken home the top prize in the Riverside County Spelling Bee for the past eight years.
Sponsored message
He enjoys Minecraft, building large Lego structures and playing basketball, according to his speller slide.
Meet San Bernardino County’s contestants
Shrey Parikh, 12, and Srikanth Satheesh Kumar, 14, are both being sponsored by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.
Parikh is in sixth grade at Rancho Cucamonga’s Day Creek Intermediate School and tied for 89th place in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. He loves nature, playing the drums, going to school, and watching The Goonies, according to his speller slide.
Laughter is good medicine for #Speller22 Shrey Parikh. That's why he enjoys his favorite movie "The Goonies" so much. He finds it hilarious. #spellingbee pic.twitter.com/IZ2E771lZb
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) May 28, 2024
Kumar is in eighth grade at the Heritage Intermediate School in Fontana. He’s played basketball for the past five years and enjoys collecting player cards. He’s also a “thrill-seeker” who loves going to Six Flags with his friends, according to his speller slide.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
