San Jose 7th-Grader To Compete For Bay Area In Scripps National Spelling Bee
PLEASANTON (CBS SF) -- A seventh grader from Chaboya Middle School in San Jose is headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee after correctly spelling "guanabana" at a regional bee last weekend.
Rishik Gandhasri participated in the 2019 Bay Area Regional Spelling Bee at the Amador Theater in Pleasanton last Sunday and came out on top after 14 rounds.
His winning word is a "large succulent irregularly ovoid fruit of a small tropical American tree having short fleshy spines and a slightly acid fibrous pulp," according to Scripps. The second-place finisher misspelled "occitan."
Gandhasri will attend the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 26-31 in Washington, D.C. Chaboya Middle School shared a short congratulatory post, saying, "Outstanding job Rishik!"
This year, the national Scripps organization stepped in to oversee a regional competition because no local sponsors offered to organize the bee.
The Bay Area region includes schools in Mendocino, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Lake counties.
"The Bay Area holds great interest in our spelling program and we wanted to ensure the tradition of a regional competition would continue," said Scripps spokeswoman Valerie Miller, thanking Visit Tri-Valley for its partnership.
Five national bee winners have come from Bay Area schools, Miller said, along with several national finalists.
"We see this as a temporary solution for this year and look forward to solidifying plans for a new regional sponsor."
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