Lake Intermediate School Student Earns First Place in GGUSD’s 34th Annual Spelling Bee

• Thursday, January 20, 2022

Lake Intermediate School eighth grader Jacob Mai outlasted Fitz Intermediate Computer Science Academy eighth grader Jacqueline Garcia to win GGUSD’s 34^thAnnual Intermediate School Spelling Bee Championship. The event was held January 12 at the Edgar District Meeting Center after being cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic. 

Jacob correctly spelled the deciding word, incoherent, to become the top speller of the night. He was joined in the competition by 39 other GGUSD intermediate school competitors. Science/Math teacher Tiffany Luu was the coach for the four spelling bee contestants from Lake Intermediate School.

“It was so great to have the Spelling Bee back this year,” said Board of Education Vice President Lan Quoc Nguyen. “I love to see our students’ enthusiasm for the event and not to mention their academic skills being put on display during what is always a wonderful event.”

Jacob and Jacqueline had an exciting back and forth battle before Jacob was able to secure first place. Both were followed by Jessica Truong of McGarvin Intermediate School, third place; and Alan Nguyen of Alamitos Intermediate School, fourth place. Other honored participants included Ivy Trinh of Ralston Intermediate School, fifth place; David Nguyen of Ralston Intermediate School, sixth place; Genevie Nguyen of Walton Intermediate School, seventh place; Angelica Cao of Fitz Intermediate Computer Science Academy, eighth place; Chelsea Kee of Bell Intermediate School, ninth place; and Fatima Qasqas of Irvine Intermediate School, tenth place.

The district champion and the nine runners-up will represent the district at the Orange County Spelling Competition, with the written segment scheduled February 28, followed by the deciding oral spelling round on March 5; both will be held at the Orange County Department of Education.

Each of the district’s 10 intermediate schools entered its four best spellers in the district competition.  Contestants were asked to spell such words as Confucianism, quatrains, obsolete, and resplendence.

School Board Vice President Lan Quoc Nguyen presented trophies to the top 10 spellers, and all contest entrants received certificates of participation.

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