Santa Cruz County 2025 Spelling Bee Winners Announced

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education (Santa Cruz COE) is pleased to announce the results of the 2025 Santa Cruz County Spelling Bee, which took place Saturday, January 25, at UC
Santa Cruz.

In the Elementary Division, Emerson Brunner, of Scotts Valley Middle School, took first place, followed by Horace Dong, also of Scotts Valley Middle School, in second place. Cooper Slavich, of Boulder Creek Elementary School, secured third place.

In the Junior Division, Lovina Wildermuth-Reyes, of Nature Academy (San Lorenzo Valley Charter School), claimed first place. Aria Menon, of Pacific Collegiate School, earned second place, while Samarth Singh, of Scotts Valley Middle School, finished in third.

First- and second-place finishers in both divisions advance to the California State Spelling Championship, scheduled April 26, 2025, at the Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca.

“Congratulations to this year’s winners and to all the incredible students from across Santa Cruz County who took on the challenge of the Spelling Bee!” said Barbara Huebner, multilingual achievement coordinator at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. “Competing in the Spelling Bee takes hard work and confidence, and we are proud of every student who participated and showcased their passion for language and learning.”

Hosted by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, the Spelling Bee is an annual, academic competition with two divisions: elementary (grades 4-6) and junior (grades 7-9).

Competitors first participate in school spelling bees, with the top two finishers in each division advancing to the countywide event. Students from schools that did not host a spelling bee are able to apply to participate on an at-large basis, selected by lottery.