A local Coachella Valley Unified School District 6th grader is heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Faith Zapata, a student at Palm View Elementary School tied second place in the Riverside County Spelling Bee which was held virtually for the second year in a row.

Faith’s teacher Mrs. Ramos says she always had faith in Faith because of her love for reading since her schooling began.

Faith the her peers, Lara Randhawa, an 8th grade student from Auburndale Intermediate School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District and John Folsom, a 7th grade student from Van Avery Preparatory School, will compete at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland during the week of Memorial Day.

The Riverside County bee featured 27 spellers from Riverside County charter schools, private schools, and school districts. Top finishers at this year’s bee included:
1st Place – Lara Randhawa*, Grade 8, Auburndale Intermediate School, Corona-Norco USD
2nd Place (tie) – John Folsom*, Grade 7, Van Avery Preparatory School
2nd Place (tie) – Faith Zapata*, Grade 6, Palm View Elementary School, Coachella Valley USD
4th Place (tie) – Hayley Foo, Grade 6, James L. Day Middle School, Temecula Valley USD
4th Place (tie) – Parvaneh Hunter, Grade 4, Estudillo Elementary School, San Jacinto USD

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

Visit spellingbee.com beginning May 1, 2022, for a full competition schedule.

* Advances to Scripps National Spelling Bee to represent Riverside County

CVUSD Student Heads to 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee