2016
February 20, 2016
Educational Services Branch ● Curriculum & Instruction Department
http://tinyurl.com/SCCOESpells
Santa Clara County Spelling Bee
2016
Program
I.
Welcome
II.
Spelling Bee
III.
Awards
The day’s schedule will vary and breaks will be provided in periodically, as deemed necessary,
Friendly Audience Reminders:
Be sure that mobile phones are powered off, or turned to silent.
Refrain for shouting out answers, or holding side conversations during the
competition.
Please note that any recording of this Bee, other than that of your own child,
either through video or photograph is prohibited.
PROGRAM
The Hive
Student
School
Grade
Nathan Baw
Silver Oak Elementary
6
Dale Bustamante
Chavez Elementary
5
Alex Chan
Summerdale Elementary
4
Adit Chintamaneni
Stevenson PACT
4
Vihaan Chinthakindi
Cumberland Elementary
5
Kaleigh Comilang
Vinci Park Elementary
4
Teresa Fung
Alexander Rose Elementary
4
Gabriela Frank
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary
4
Le Hoang Hoai-Phuong
Silver Oak Elementary
4
Ria Kalra
Lucille M. Nixon
5
Sarah Kostka
Crittenden Middle
6
Jeslyn Le
Vinci Park Elementary
5
Sarmad Maqsood
Rachel Carson Elementary
5
Arav Musale
Pearl Zanker Elementary
5
Purichaya Napasawangwong
Cherrywood Elementary
4
Denise Ngo
Christopher Elementary
6
Genesis Pastor
Anthony J. Dorsa Elementary
4
THE PARTICIPANTS
The Hive
Student
School
Grade
Aarsh Patel
Pearl Zanker Elementary
6
Dhruv Pathak
Marshall Pomeroy Elementary
5
Gabriella Ransome
Waldorf School of the Peninsula
5
Zaccheus Ritchie
PA Walsh STEAM Academy
6
Catharine Saechao
Anthony J. Dorsa Elementary
5
Shiana Samarasinghe
Summerdale Elementary
4
Devesh Shukla
Marshall Pomeroy Elementary
5
Maya Sriram
Stevenson PACT Elementary
4
Tanish Swarnapuri
Cherrywood Elementary
4
Amy Tran
Chavez Elementary
5
Mareli Valverde
Christopher Elementary
6
Angelo Vazquez
Alexander Rose Elementary
4
Sarah Ann Vu
Rachel Carson Elementary
5
Winferd Wei
Oster Elementary
4
Areli Zarate
PA Walsh STEAM Academy
6
Ana Zeiger
Crittenden Middle
6
THE PARTICIPANTS
The Buzz
Participants were given the opportunity to share information about
themselves. Each entry was provided online and presented here,
exactly as the information was submitted.
Please meet some of our student participants…
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Nathan Baw
“Twice a week I get to school at 7AM to attend Math Olympiad
and Programming classes. I am also part of the Robotics Club. I
was elected Student Council Sergeant-at-Arms and Vice
President at Silver Oak Elementary. My favorite subjects include
Math, Science, and Language Arts. I am also very passionate
about basketball. I attend at least three practices a week,
including a session coached by an ex-NBA player. I play on a competitive NJB Level One All-Net team for
Coyote Creek. I have also just been selected to NJB's 6th Grade All-Net All-Star team for the current
season. One of my future ambitions is to serve people. I would like to be involved in opportunities that
allow me to serve others. My reason for entering the Spelling Bee is that I like taking on the challenge of
knowing as many words as I can. Another reason is that I want to participate in competitions beyond
basketball and athletics. I studied for the Spelling Bee by first knowing as many words as I can from the
Spelling Bee word list, and then studying from additional vocabulary sources such as the dictionary. I am
thankful for the opportunity to be here."
Dale Bustamante
“My name is Dale Bustamante. Currently, I attend Cesar Chavez
as a 5th grader. My favorite part of school is PE because you get
to exercise. I am participating in the Bee because I was 3rd
place in the district Spelling Bee. When I am not at school, I
enjoy spending time with electronics and participating in sports.
You might be surprised that I laugh too much sometimes for no
reason.”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Alex Chan
“I am Alex, and I am a fourth grade student at Summerdale
Elementary School. I am honored to be the alternate for my
school. I love many animals, but my favorite animal is the panda.
My favorite thing to do when I am bored is fold paper, also known
as origami. My favorite origami model is the fiery dragon designed
by Kade Chan. I would like to be a pediatrician when grow up because I love helping people. I hope my
school can win the county spelling bee!”
Vihaan Chinthakindi
“My name is Vihaan Chinthakindi. I am a 5th grader at
Cumberland Elementary, Sunnyvale. My favorite part of the
school is Social Studies because I enjoy learning about History
and Geography. I also enjoy P.E because of the fun games
including hockey and lacrosse.
I am participating in the Bee because I am good at spelling and I
want to be more competitive. This is the first time being in a Spelling Bee and I am proud to represent my
school. This would be a great opportunity for me.
When I'm not at school I enjoy studying maps, and spending time with my family. I participate in activities
such as Swimming, Abacus, and Guitar.
My favorite places are Seattle, India, and New York. In fact, when I grow up, I would like to settle in Seattle
and work as an airplane designer for Boeing.”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Gabriela Frank
“My name is Gabby Frank and when I grow up I want to be a
writer. I like to read and write and that is probably what made me
want to enter the Spelling Bee. I love animals and have a cat
named Brie. When I study, I usually try to memorize spellings and
I like to be able to do my studying in one chunk of time.”
Teresa Fung
“I like to read sometimes when I am bored, as a hobby. I like to
feed my fish, and it's always fun watching them fight for food
when I feed them. I have 4 catfish, and I had them since they
were tiny. I entered the Spelling Bee just for fun, because it's
always fun trying out new things and overcoming your fear of
speaking in front of a lot of people. I also play the clarinet in the
school band just for fun. It's fun learning notes and holding your
breath for about 30 seconds. I studied by look at the word first and closing my eyes and spelling out the
word without peeking. I'm really excited about going to the County to participate in the County Spelling
Bee.”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Ria Kalra
“My name is Ria Kalra. I am a 5th grader and I love to read, play
the piano, the violin, and chess. My favorite subjects at school are
Reading and Math. Last year I was one of the co-winners for our
school spelling bee but I never got to participate in the next
competition. The reason I entered the County spelling bee is
because this time I have a chance to challenge myself at a higher
level.”
Sarah Kostka
“My name is Sarah Kostka, and I'm a 6th grader at Crittenden
Middle School in Mountain View. I love music, and I've grown up
with it my entire life. My parents play many instruments such as
the accordion and penny-whistle, while I enjoy playing the flute. A
favorite studying-method of mine is hopping around the house and
acting out how the words sound, finding other words that fit
inside them. I absolutely love spelling, and after discovering the
Spelling Bee I think I've found a new passion!”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Jaar Napasawangwong
“My name is Jaar Napasawangwong. Currently, I attend
Cherrywood Elementary school as a 4th grader. My favorite part
of school is reading because it helps me learn new words. Reading
also helps me pronounce words correctly and it is fun reading
new things. I am participating in the Spelling Bee because I want to
try something new. It has been a nice experience and I will try my
best to spell all of the words correctly. When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my sister and
participating at the Thai Temple. You might be surprised to learn that I am a book worm...”
Hoai-Phuong Le Hoang
“My full name is Hoai-Phuong Le Hoang. At school, I like to study
science, art, and writing. When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.
My hobbies are reading, writing, and drawing. I have a pet cat
named Domino. I entered the Spelling Bee because my dad said I
am a good speller and that I read a lot. To study for the Bee, I
ask a family member (usually my younger sister) to hold the
paper and read the words out loud to me. I then spell out the
words, like in a real competition.”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Jeslyn Le
“Hello, My name is Jeslyn Le but sometimes I go by the name Ted
Bear. I really enjoy drawing and reading by myself in my free time.
I didn't expect to even get into the Spelling Bee, but was so
excited when I found out that I had a chance to compete. I told
myself to take my time and study hard leading up to the event. I
was so happy when I won the Spelling Bee that I started to cry
with tears of joy! This has been an amazing experience.”
Sarmad Maqsood
“Sarmad Maqsood is a fifth-grader at Carson Elementary School.
He is 10 years old. He is best known for his creative origami. He
is an avid reader of mythical and fantasy books. He likes cards,
especially card magic tricks. His favorite time of the year is when
he gets to go to his grandma’s house. He is the oldest grandchild
on his mom’s side.
Sarmad entered the spelling bee because he wanted to be known across the world. He studied by looking
through the words and then having his mother test him out loud, marking each incorrect word for him to
study again. This continued until he was able to learn them.”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Arav Musale
“My name is Arav Musale. Currently, I attend Pearl Zanker
Elementary School as a 5th grader. My favorite part of school is
science because we get to do labs and projects. I am participating
in the spelling bee because I want to have another go to win. It has
been a nerve-racking but fun experience. When I am not at
school, I enjoy time with my family and coding, swimming and
playing with my sisters. You might be surprised to learn that I like to learn about mythology and hard way as
in reading the fiction books and making sense of it on my own.”
Aarsh Patel
“My name is Aarsh Patel. I currently attend Pearl Zanker
Elementary School as a 6th grader. My favorite part of school is
math because it is cool to learn and there are so many possible
ways to do it. I am participating in the spelling bee because it is an
honor doing so and it is challenging. It has been an exciting yet
nerving experience. When I am not at school, I enjoy spending
time with my friends and family and participating in basketball.
You might be surprised to learn that I can shoot half court in
basketball!”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Dhruv Pathak
“My name is Dhruv and I am now into the county spelling bee. I
wanted to enter because it is a new experience for me and I have
never been in a spelling bee. This is my first time and I am in the
county! I studied by reading the list my teacher gave me and
quizzing myself. I did this over and over again because it helped me
memorize the words and learn them. Sometimes I just like picking
up a book and reading. I think that it helped my vocabulary. My favorite subject is math. When I grow up I
want to be a doctor and help people.
Gabriella Ransome
“Hello. My name is Gabriella Ransome, and I attend Waldorf
School of the Peninsula as a 5th grader. My favorite subjects at
school are art classes. I am very excited to participate in the
spelling bee. My hobbies are art, reading, and spelling. You might
be suprised to know that my dog's name is Harry Pawter. I also
like singing Broadway show tunes.
When I get home from school, I like to build Lego with my little brother. Spelling rocks!”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Zaccheus Ritchie
“My name is Zaccheus Sage Ritchie. I love video games and like to
draw. I have four pets, A dog named Tesla, A cat named Niko,
another cat named Frosch, and finally a cat named Heinrich.
When I grow up, I want to be a film director, as I love doing
special effects and creating videos. I entered the bee because I
wanted to do good at something I've failed in the past. I studied
with the list that was given to me by my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Martinez. When I studied, I created
drawings of a scene that would play out with the definition of the word in mind to give myself a visual
representation so I remember the word.”
Shiana Samarasinghe
“My name is Shiana Samarasinghe. I am eight years old and I am a
4th grader at Summerdale Elementary School. I play competitive
soccer for the North Valley Youth Soccer League and basketball
for BAM NJB. Both my teams are unbeaten this season. My other
sports are swimming and Karate. I also enjoy cycling, hiking, and
skiing with my family. My hobbies are painting and playing board
games with my sister. When I grow up I want to be a world cup soccer player like Alex Morgan. My sports
hero is Stephen Curry.”
Devesh Shukla
“Hi my name is Devesh. My hobbies are reading and using new
types of electronics. My favorite subjects include Math, Social
Studies, and English Language Arts. I don't really have a future
ambition yet. I entered the spelling bee because I thought it
would be fun and I studied by using the paper my teacher
forwarded me. Thank You for listening to me. “
Tanish Swarnapuri
“My name is Tanish Swarnapuri. Currently, I attend Cherrywood
Elementary as a 4th grader. My favorite part of school is lunch
because I get to eat food. This gives me energy to learn. I am
participating in the Spelling Bee because I love to learn new
words. Participating in the school Spelling Bee has been an
awesome experience and the words were a little hard. When I
am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I also like to participate in sports and
math activities. You might be surprised to know that I actually like to read a lot... “
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Amy Tran
My name is Amy Tran. Currently, I attend Cesar Chavez as a 5th
grader. My favorite part of school is when I go to recess, because I
get to play games I find entertaining and play with kids from other
classes that are my friends.
I am participating in the Bee because I enjoy winning. I love
spelling, and I am about to make all the people that are precious
to me proud. It was been an exciting and spectacular experience to compete in my previous spelling bees.
When I'm not at school, I enjoy spending time with my friends and participating in two activities such as
going to girl scouts on Sunday and going to Vietmamese School on Saturday to improve my VIetmamese.
You might me supriosed to learn that I am a perservering speller that has watery eyes when I lose!
Angelo Vazquez
“I am Angelo. I entered the spelling bee because my mom
thought it was a good idea and so did I. I like reading and spelling.
I have no pets. My favorite subject is reading. I studied by reading
the words then asking my mom to test me on them.”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Sarah-Ann Vu
“My name is Sarah-Ann Vu and I am 10 years old. I am a fifth
grader at Rachel Carson Elementary. My birthday is May 14. I love
to swim and read. When I grow up, I want to be a pharmacist
because I want to be able to help other people. I plan to get a
scholarship into a good pharmacy school. My favorite subjects in
school are science, literature, writing, social studies, and math. My method of studying was by going over
five pages of the Santa Clara County Spelling words every day. I would highlight the words I found difficult,
then review them again until they weren't difficult anymore. My class had a spelling bee and I placed second.
The next day, my school had a bigger spelling bee with all the 4th and 5th graders. I ended up being the
winner.”
Wenfren (Winferd) Wei
“I'm Winferd and I'm 9 years old. I entered the spelling bee
because it may help with my reading when I come across words I
don't know. I like to draw and when I grow up I want to be an
artist and/or architect. I grew up in Provo, UT and then moved
to Phoenix, AZ. From there I came to Sunnyvale and now I have
ended up in San Jose. I love Oster School!”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Areli Zarate
“My hobbies are drawing or playing basketball at home. I have 1
dog. My favorite subject is Math and Science. When I grow up I
want to go to San Jose State and study to be a doctor. I wanted
to enter the spelling bee because I wanted to go farther in the
competition than last year. I study every single week. I studied
hard the day before the bee so I could have most of the hard
words memorized. There are 5 people in my family including
myself, My mom, my dad, my brother, and my sister. I want to wish everyone good luck today.”
Ana Zeiger
“My name is Ana Zeiger. Currently, I am a sixth grader at
Crittenden Middle School. One of my favorite activities is
working with wood. Some things I’ve made are a ping pong table,
a swing set, and many things on wheels. At school I enjoy all
subjects because each one of my teachers has a wealth of
knowledge in the subject they teach. The main reason that I am
participating in the Bee is because I enjoy learning new vocabulary
and that goes hand in hand with spelling. I look forward to the fun that I will have at the Bee.”
THE CONTESTANT BUZZ
Worker Bees
Spelling Bee Coordinators — Christina Arpante, Ed.D. & Rhonda Beasley
Spelling Master — Jennifer Janzen
Head Judge/Timekeeper — Delip Andra
Challenge Recorder/Round Advisor — Christina Arpante
------------------The Spelling Bee Committee would like to extend a special thank you to
Angelica Ramsey, Ed.D., Associate Superintendent,
Melissa Christie, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, and
to our Administrative Assistants for their support of the
Spelling Bee, and their invaluable assistance behind the
scenes.
SPECIAL THANKS