Glendora Students to Take Part in First Spanish Language Spelling Bee

While some words in spelling bees may seem foreign– guetapens was the most commonly used spelling bee word in 2012– Azusa Pacific University will host the first ever Spanish language spelling bee in California.

A total of 55 students, including native speakers and those enrolled in Spanish courses, will take part in the spelling bee scheduled for Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. in the Azusa Civic Auditorium, 213 E. Foothill Blvd., Azusa.

Students from high schools in Los Angeles County, including St. Lucy’s Priory in Glendora, will participate.

Thirty million people in the United States speak Spanish and the U.S. has the second largest population of Spanish Speakers, behind Mexico, according to an APU press release.

The spelling bee, hosted by APU’s Department of Modern Languages and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is an opportunity to celebrate the Spanish language and culture and encourage “high school students who speak Spanish to further their study of the language,” according to the university.