The Los Angeles and Orange County contestants in the Scripps National Spelling Bee both advanced to the quarterfinals May 28 by correctly spelling two words and answering a vocabulary question.
Oliver Halkett, a sixth-grader who attends The Mirman School in Brentwood, correctly spelled “desiccate,” a verb meaning to dry up, and chose the correct answer to the vocabulary question “Acerbity is?'‘ selecting ”a manner that is harsh, biting or irritated.’’
In the third round, Oliver correctly spelled “doxycycline,” a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic used orally to treat various bacterial infections.
Katelyn Nguyen, a seventh-grader at Helen Stacey Middle School in Huntington Beach, correctly spelled “ubi sunt,” the Latin phrase meaning “of or relating to a type of poetry reflecting on transience and mortality,” and correctly answered the vocabulary question “A schooner is a type of?' by selecting boat.
In the third round, Katelyn correctly spelled “durbar,” a court held by an Indian prince or a formal reception held by an Indian prince or an African ruler.
Oliver qualified for the national bee by winning by the Los Angeles County Regional Spelling Bee in March, correctly spelling “melologue,” a noun meaning “vocal and instrumental music interspersed with spoken declamation,” as the winning word.
The 12-year-old loves piano, reading, and soccer. His favorite book is “Animal Farm,'' and he loves reading The Economist weekly. He also loves cooking new recipes with his mother.
Katelyn qualified for the national bee by winning the Orange County Spelling Bee in March, correctly spelling “discretionary” as her final word.
Katelyn’s pastimes include playing the piano and practicing martial arts. She has a blue belt in aikido. Her favorite book is “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.'’
The bee began with a field of 245 spellers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Canada, the Bahamas, Germany and Ghana. The field was the largest since 2019.
Wednesday’s quarterfinals at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland will be streamed on ION Plus, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and spellingbee.com from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
The bee is limited to students in eighth grade or below and who were born on Sept. 1, 2008, or later. Contestants for the 96th edition of the national bee range in age from 8 to 15.
The bee will conclude Thursday. The winner will receive $50,000 from the Scripps National Spelling Bee, $2,500 and a reference library from the dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster, $400 in reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica and a three-year membership to Britannica Online Premium, and a $350 prize package from SugarBee Apple, including a SugarBee Apple gift basket and $250 gift card.
No speller from Los Angeles or Orange counties has won the bee.
