Corona, CA: Tie For First Place In Riverside Spelling Bee

Two students tied for first place at the 34th annual Riverside County Spelling Bee in Moreno Valley today.

Thirty students from public and private schools across the county competed in the bee at the Moreno Valley Conference & Recreation Center but after 3 1/2 hours and 18 rounds, only two survived. Eanna Mejia, who attends Corona Ranch Elementary School, squared off against Raymond Galloway, of Vista Verde Middle School.

“Judges finally called the match a draw after what they said was the longest one-on-one showdown in memory,” said Rick Peoples of the Office of Education, with the kids sounding out such words as sequacity and impuissant.

According to the County Office of Education, Galloway, who has been competing in spelling bees since he was five, was selected to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.. Mejia will represent Riverside County in the California Spelling Bee in Stockton on April 16.