Twenty-seven nervous Riverside County spellers competed in the 47th edition of the Riverside County Spelling Bee that lasted for 3.5 hours on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Held at the Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center, the event continued for 23 rounds until Victoria Li correctly spelled “denigratory” in the 22nd round, and then accurately spelled “tersanctus” in the 23rd round—a word defined as a hymn or invocation praising God as the thrice-holy deity.
The 6th-grade student from the Philistine Rondo School of Discovery in the Corona-Norco Unified School District will now represent Riverside County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland from May 25 to May 31, 2025.
“I can’t wait to go back to school and show everyone my trophy,” an excited Victoria announced after the awards ceremony…