Tim Tsai, an eighth-grader at ASSETS School, was runner-up in the field of 27 contestants at Aliamanu Middle School.

Rice and Tsai qualified for The Honolulu Advertiser State Spelling Bee, which will air at 5 p.m. March 30 on KFVE-Channel 5.

Rice, 14, is the daughter of Patrick and Mary Rice of Schofield Barracks. "Spelling just always came easy for me because I can see the word in my mind," she said.

She won in Round 10, finishing by correctly spelling "titian" (a brownish orange color).

Also last night, Kapa'a Middle School eighth-grader Stephanie Kawamura spelled "predecessor" and "corduroy" to win the Kaua'i District Spelling Bee.

Kawamura's classmate, Santo Saldana, was runner-up. Illness kept several students away from the Kaua'i bee, which started with just seven spellers.

Kawamura and Saldana, who are both 13 and from Kilauea, are veterans of spelling bees. They had studied together for last year's bee, but studied independently this year, they said.

The 14 district winners will receive gifts from Sears, Island Heritage, Consolidated Theatres and Anderson News Co.

Sponsors for this year's state competition are Island Heritage, Aloha Airlines and CompUSA.

The State Spelling Bee champion also wins an expenses-paid trip to Washington to compete in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in May; a Webster's Third New International Dictionary; a $200 Sears merchandise certificate; a $100 U.S. savings bond from Jay Sugarman; a PDA from Radio Shack; a $100 cash award from Dede and James Sutherland; and a gift basket from Island Heritage.

Travel for Neighbor Island participants is provided by Aloha Airlines.