Aria Menon, a sixth-grader at Mountain Elementary School in Soquel, was crowned champion of the 2024 Santa Cruz County Spelling Bee elementary division; Clark Christensen, sixth-grader at Rio del Mar Elementary School placed second, and Emerson Brunner, fifth grader at San Lorenzo Valley Charter School, was third.
From left: Clark Christensen, Aria Menon, and Emerson Brunner
Kheiron Guin, a seventh-grader at San Lorenzo Valley Charter School, won the junior division; Zoe Coatney, seventh-grader at New Brighton Middle School in Soquel, placed second and Ella Vicar, eighth-grader at New Brighton Middle School, placed third.
First- and second-place finishers advance to the California State Spelling Championship, scheduled for April 27 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education.
“Congratulations to our winners, and to each of the amazing students from across Santa Cruz County who participated this year!” said Barbara Huebner, multilingual achievement coordinator at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. “The Spelling Bee is not just about words, it’s a celebration of language and a chance for students to build confidence in their abilities that they will carry forward for years to come.”
From left: Zoe Coatney, Kheiron Guin, and Ella Vicar
Hosted by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, the 2024 Santa Cruz County Spelling Bee took place Jan. 20 at UC Santa Cruz.
The annual academic competition includes two divisions: elementary (grades 4-6) and junior (grades 7-9).
Competitors first participate in school spelling bees, with the top two finishers in each division advancing to the countywide competition.
Students from schools that did not host a spelling bee were able to apply to participate on an at-large basis, selected by lottery.
Santa Cruz County Office of Education