Congratulations to Jooha Lee, an eighth-grader from Beacon Park K-8 School, for placing third in the Orange County Spelling Bee! He was eliminated in round 11 on the word “pileus,” an umbrella-shaped cap found on many fungi such as mushrooms, and earned a $100 cash prize.
Presented by the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE), the County Spelling Bee began with students who had won their school or district bees. The competition unfolded in two phases. On February 23, students participated in a written spelling and vocabulary test, with the top performers advancing to the final round.
On February 28, the top 32 spellers gathered at OCDE’s Costa Mesa administrative campus for the final oral competition, including seven students from the Irvine Unified School District. As the rounds progressed, the words grew increasingly challenging, testing students’ spelling knowledge and composure under pressure.
In addition to Jooha, students who participated in this year's spelling bee finals include:
Elias Alberola, Bonita Canyon Elementary School
- Anishka Bishnoi, Woodbury Elementary School
- Maxwell Chiou, Woodbury Elementary School
- Justin Lee, Solis Park K-8
- Advika Prasad, Sierra Vista Middle School
- James Ton, Eastwood Elementary
Join us in congratulating Jooha on this accomplishment!
For more information about the Orange County Spelling Bee, visit ocde.us/SpellingBee.