Winners from both the Elementary and Junior High division. Photo from San Benito County Office of Education Facebook page.
Winners from both the Elementary and Junior High division. Photo from San Benito County Office of Education Facebook page.

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Accelerated Achievement Academy students Noelle Wentzell and Marley Murillo won their respective categories in the local 2025 spelling bee contest. San Benito County Office of Education’s annual competition was held Feb. 6 at Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Hollister.

The champions and runner ups— Rancho San Justo student Cyrus Beiklo and Cerra Vista student Paul David Yoshikawa— qualified to participate in the state’s spelling bee competition scheduled for April in Manteca.

Students competed in two categories, the elementary division (grades 4-6) and the junior high division (grades 7-9). 

The night started off with the six students in the junior high division. The students came from various schools including Tres Pinos, San Justo, Hollister Prep, San Juan and Spring Grove. Students were given a minute to spell a word. They were also provided a blank piece of paper to write out the word before spelling it out. 

  • Elementary division contestant spelling out a word. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
    Elementary division contestant spelling out a word. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
  • Junior High Division competitors. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen
    Junior High Division competitors. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
  • Elementary Division competitors. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen
    Elementary Division competitors. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
  • Junior High Division 1st place Noelle Wentzell (left) and 2nd place Cyrus Beiklou. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
    Junior High Division 1st place Noelle Wentzell (left) and 2nd place Cyrus Beiklou. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
  • Elementary Division Winner Marley Murillo. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
    Elementary Division Winner Marley Murillo. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
  • Junior High division contestant spelling out a word. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.
    Junior High division contestant spelling out a word. Photo by Ashlyn Manninen.

The competition between the junior high students lasted about 40 minutes with the final two competitors battling for 15 minutes until Wentzell was crowned. The students faced words like nominee, sequel, and braggadocio—an Italian word that stumped the whole audience. 

Next was the elementary division, which had 30 students competing from 15 different schools. The competition between these students lasted about an hour. The students had to face words like journal and mutton. The final two competitors went back and forth for a tense 30 minutes until Murillo spelled ‘Zealous’ to outlast his opponent.

To prepare for the competition, all registered students were provided with last year’s word list. Although these words did not appear in this year’s spelling bee, it gave students a chance to familiarize themselves with types of words they may face in the competition. 

The San Benito County Office of Education sponsors students who qualify to the state competition to a one night stay at the venue— the Great Wolf Lodge— and six water park wristbands.

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