Some of California’s brightest young spellers gathered Saturday at the Great Wolf Lodge for the 2025 California State Spelling Bee, hosted by the San Joaquin County Office of Education.
The competition brought together 89 students from across the state, with 45 students vying for the elementary title and 44 students competing in the junior high division. All participants had previously earned the title of county spelling champion in their home regions.
In the elementary division (grades 4-6), Ryan Sekera, a fifth-grader from Placer County, took home the top trophy. Akshara Thummala, a fifth-grader from Contra Costa County, finished as runner-up. Students tackled challenging words like rhizome, tintinnabulation, and wurtzite during the final rounds.
In the junior high division (grades 7-9), Sarvadnya Kadam, an eighth-grader from Tulare County, claimed the championship. Oliver Halkett from Los Angeles County and Praneet Aditya Kumaravel from San Joaquin County were named co-runners-up. The final words in their competition included datiscaceae, lagniappe, and walpurgite.
Each champion and runner-up received trophies.