“I feel elated because I never thought I would win,” Izaak Valadez said. Izaak, a sixth-grade student at Jefferson School in the Jefferson Elementary School District, is the 2015 -16 San Joaquin County Elementary Spelling Bee champion. He was able to correctly spell “signatory,” which led him to taking first place at the Spelling Bee.
In total, 70 students competed in the Elementary and Junior High divisions.
“The word is: legislation,” Spelling Bee Master Veray Wickham said to a contestant at the podium.
The audience and other contestants were silent as the contestant responded.
“L-E-G-I-S-L-A-T-I-O-N. Legislation,” responded Ethne Anders, fifth-grader at Venture Academy Family of Schools. Ethne took second-place in the 19th annual San Joaquin County Spelling Bee Championship held at the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) on Dec. 9.
“That is correct,” Wickham responded. Ethne had a look of relief on her face and a smile as she sat back down. Her teacher, Deborah Pulskamp, said that when she returned to school the next day, she was greeted by a round of applause from her classmates.
Ethne and Izaak will both move on to participate in the California State Elementary Spelling Bee Championship on April 23, 2016, at the SJCOE.
Junior High Division (Seventh- through ninth-grade):
The 2015 -16 San Joaquin County Junior High Spelling Bee champion is Prantik Bharadwaj, seventh-grade student at River Islands Technology Academy, a charter in the Banta Elementary School District. His winning word was “strychnine.”
The runner-up is Jordan Manley, ninth-grade student at Tracy High School in the Tracy Unified School District. Both students will participate in the California State Junior High Spelling Bee Championship on May 14, 2016, at Miller Creek School in San Rafael, Calif. The SJCOE Educational Foundation (SJCOEEF) will pay the $350 entry fees. Sponsors of the event are the SJCOE, the SJCOEEF, and Premier Community Credit Union.