Holy Redeemer student wins National Spelling Bee
It is an annual event that is a long time in the planning as well as execution. And today it all came together as a baker’s dozen of Belize’s sharpest spellers tested their skills. Jacqueline Woods reports.
The Belize City Centre was packed to capacity with hundreds of screaming primary school children, who took the day off to come out and support their schoolmates in the finals of the National Coca-Cola Spelling Bee.
There were thirteen students representing all six districts, but by the time the competition reached the sixth round there were only two young men remaining: fourteen year old Fidencio Cal of Corazon R.C. School in the Toldeo District and Eleven year old Rensi Franklin of Holy Redeemer Upper School in Belize City. Both boys put up a good fight, as they struggled through the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds.
Scene from the competition
“Try again.”
“p-s-e-u-d-o-y-m, s-u-e-d-o-y-m”
“Again.”
“p-s-e-u-d-o-y-m, s-u-i-d-o-y-m” (buzzer goes off)
“I’m sorry the spelling is p-s-e-u-d-o-n-y-m. Twenty six. Twenty six. Your word is nitroglycerin. Nitroglycerin.”
“n-i-t-r-o-g-l-y-c-r-i-n, n-i-t-r-o-g-l-y-c-e-r-i-n.” (buzzer goes off)
Franklin who did manage to spell Nitroglycerin correctly after two tries, did so on the buzzer, therefore he was not awarded any points, that would have declared him the winner. As the competition entered the ninth round, the air was tense as the Spelling Bee had come down to crunch time. First it was Cal’s turn to spell the word pharmaceutical.
Scene from the Competion
“Try again.”
“p-h-a-r-m-a-s-u-t-i-c-a-l. (buzzer goes off)
“I’m sorry. Pharmaceutical is spelt, p-h-a-r-m-a-c-e-u-t-i-c-a-l. Twenty eight. Your word is opeidoscope. Opeidoscope.”
“o-p-e-i-d-o-s-c-o-p-e”
“Correct.”
Holy Redeemer’s standard five student Rensi Franklin winning the 1998 National Coca Cola Spelling Bee contest. The win is one organizers say was destined. Viewers may recall that Franklin ethically could have been eliminated from the district competition, but was allowed into the National Finals only after the judges had made an erroneous call in the March thirteenth competition.
Nicholas Pollard, Manager, Bowen & Bowen Ltd.
“You know we can only say that destiny move in strange way and for Rensi we are very happy that the judges and the company made the right decision in putting him back in there. That is something that is tremendous on our part, that the public is aware that a decision, that a protest came to us and we dealt with it the right way and we can see a positive result. We feel extremely good about that.”
For the second place winner, he is just happy that the competition is over. Cal says he spent many hours, burning that midnight oil getting ready for the finals.
Fidencio Cal, Second Place Winner
“I studied every night.”
Q: “For how many hours?”
Fidencio Cal
“Six to nine.”
Q: “Who helped you with the words?”
Fidencio Cal
” My teacher.”
Q: “Were you nervous when you came on stage today?”
Fidencio Cal
“Yes.”
As for the winner, Franklin says although he studied real hard, he got extremely nervous in the last rounds when he could not spell the words correctly.
Rensi Franklin, Winner, 1998 National Coca Cola Spelling Bee
“Well, I studied every night and my mom and dad take me up.”
Q: “When you reached the sixth round and you guys kept on misspelling the words, what was going through your mind?”
Rensi Franklin
“I was just, oh my God, I hope I win this. If I don’t win it, I’m going to die, I’m going to die.”
Overall, Pollard says this year’s competition went well, despite a few glitches here and there.
Nicholas Pollard
“I think it went extremely well. It’s getting better and better every year. This is the fourth year. We had a much larger attendance of students and for the first time we had Mr. Bowen delivering the main speech on behalf of Bowen & Bowen Limited. I think the last part especially in the extra reserve list, we saw a lot of excitement. Even one of the words ending up on the buzzer, nitroglycerin, it was exciting. I think there is more interest among the teachers and the parents, and as you know our winner is a standard five student so there is a lot of coaching going on.”
Pollard says when you consider the amount of problems facing our education system, it’s about time the private sector step in and do its part for the betterment of Belize’s children.
Nicholas Pollard
“In the end there is a need for the private sector definitely to be involved in the education process, because the kids out there, there are different problems. There are problems of absenteeism, truancy and we need to reach out to them. They are our future. I am glad that Bowen & Bowen and Coca Cola have started the ball rolling and playing a major role in education. I’m certain that more companies will be doing this in other ways.”
Both Franklin and Cal receive their own computers and printers, while Holy Redeemer received a computer as the wining school. By the way, the school celebrated by giving its students the rest of the day off. Reporting for News Five, I am Jacqueline Woods.
The victory of Rensi Franklin was not the only touch of irony in this year’s competition. Runner up Fidencio Cal, who now owns his own advanced computer, that ever present status symbol of the new millennium, may not be able to use it. His village in Toledo, it seems, has not yet acquired that ever present status symbol of the old millennium: electricity. No doubt Cal’s victory today will have local politicians falling all over themselves with promises for tomorrow.
