FRESNO, Calif. - A Clovis eighth-grader is headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Caroline Van Garsse from Alta Sierra Intermediate School in Clovis was crowned the winner after defeating more than 80 other elementary and middle schoolers in February. She is the only competitor from Fresno County heading to the prestigious national competition in May, where she will compete against more than 200 other star spellers from throughout the country.
“It kind of didn’t feel real for a second…it was really overwhelming at first,” she said of the moment she won after correctly spelling the word “excerpt.”
“When I finally got in the car with my dad and we were about to drive away, we were like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to Washington, D.C. I just won the spelling bee,’” she further reflected to KVPR.
Van Garsse says she is excited about the week-long trip, in which the competition takes place May 27-29, and intends to commit more time to studying for the competition.
Local showdown
The Fresno County Spell Off was held last month at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.
Even though Van Garsse is the only competitor headed to nationals, the final four spellers are advancing to the California State Spelling Bee – including second-place winner Aarav Mann of Washington Academic Middle School, Fugman Elementary School’s Warren Li, and Goldenrod Elementary School’s Magaly Lopez, who tied for third place.
Warren Li, an 11-year-old fifth-grader, told KVPR he’s on his way to the state bee for the second time. Last year, he placed seventh in the state as a fourth grader.
“This year, I feel like it’s reinforcing my confidence. I’m much more excited to go on to state than last year,” he said.
When asked how he’d describe his spelling bee experience, he answered with “sesquipedalian” – which, fittingly, means long-winded – then proceeded to correctly spell it out.
Fresno County Department of Education employees Amy Alvarado and Lisa Swertfager, who co-coordinate the event, said spelling bee competitions provide valuable life skills and academic growth.
“It's really a time for them to practice their public speaking…Students have to compose themselves and make sure that they speak slowly and carefully,” Alvarado said. “You also get to watch the camaraderie that's built because all these students are in it together and they're giving each other high fives as they're going down the aisles.”
Swertfager agreed this competition is about more than just spelling.
“If you listen to the competition, students are asking questions,” Swertfager said – like the definitions of words, their origins, and alternative pronunciations.
“They're working on vocabulary. They really are becoming ‘word nerds’ which goes a long way to supporting comprehension and…academic success,” she said – even in an age when tools like spell check and artificial intelligence can help people write.
The California State Spelling Bee will take place in Manteca in April.
This story was produced by Samantha Rangel as part of an internship program through Fresno State’s Media, Communications and Journalism department.