On Wednesday, January 13, 2021, Hemet Unified School District held its 44th annual district-wide Spelling Bee. This year the event was hosted via live stream and 24 students competed. Following ten rounds, Western Center Academy student Alan Trejo, 8th grade, was announced as the first place winner after he correctly spelled the word “accumulate”. Second place was awarded to Vincent Kidwell, 5th grade student at Ramona Elementary School; third place was awarded to Noah Ramirez, 4th grade student at Winchester Elementary School.
In order to participate in the district-level Spelling Bee, students from 4th to 8th grade who won first place at their site spelling bee were invited to compete at the district level. Students were called one at a time by the Spelling Bee Master, Dr. Janice Jones. The panel of three judges was there to ensure students received correct information and spelled their word correctly.
A big thank you to this year’s Spelling Bee Master, Dr. Janice Jones, Director of English Learners and State and Federal Accountability, for making the students feel comfortable in the virtual setting, and HUSD’s Technology Department for their support in making this year’s virtual Spelling Bee a success. We would also like to thank Spelling Bee Arbitrator, Andy McGuire, Director of Purchasing, judges, Dagmar Rea, District Librarian; Debbie Blodgett, Administrative Assistant; Nellie Kleinvachter, Secondary Pathway Specialist for their help during this year’s competition.
Congratulations to all district-level contestants and winners!