O.W. student wins Coca-Cola Spelling Bee
It has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the primary school year and a chance for children from all over the country to shine. No, we’re not talking about the Festival of Arts, but the Coca-Cola National Spelling Bee. This year, the finals moved out of the city and headed north. It is a move that seems to have given at least one young man the home turf advantage. News Five was in Orange Walk for the exciting finish to months of studying all those word lists.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
These boys and girls from New Life Pre and Primary Presbyterian School in the Orange Walk District have reason to celebrate. Their schoolmate, standard four student ten-year-old Edgar Nah, is the national champion for the 2005 Coca Cola Spelling Bee. Nah admits he was feeling nervous shortly after arriving at the Orange Walk Multipurpose Complex but soon relaxed after he spelled his first word correctly. Nah credits his success to the support of his teacher Matthew Pettingale who helped him to prepare for the finals.
Edgar Nah, 2005 Coca Cola Spelling Bee Champ
?He helped me everyday, testing me with the words and some from the dictionary.?
Matthew Pettingale, Teacher
?When I give him tests he ranks very high, since he was in standard one. So thanks God for his abilities, thank his parents for nurturing him, all his teachers have credit to take for this. We are just proud of him.?
It is the first time since the competition started eleven years ago that the national finals were held outside of Belize City. Bowen and Bowen Limited Merchandising Manager David Craig says it was a move that district educators had been requesting for a long time. The lengthy competition took four hours, but it was packed with excitement and suspense. The teachers paid keen attention, protesting whenever they felt their student was not being given a fair shot at spelling a word correctly.
David Craig, Merchandising Mgr., Bowen & Bowen
?I think that most of the protests were derived from the problems we had with acoustics. The sound bounces all over the place in here. That?s why if you noticed, we had headphones on our head judge and I also had on a headphone and Mr. William Usher, who is a big assistant with us with the judging, also had on headphones. We were able to resolve all of them quite amicably, but it?s always good to have protest because it means that the teachers are behind these kids and they are really looking at us to provide the leadership for the proper governance of this Spelling Bee.?
It is the fourth year that the Orange Walk District has performed very well in the National Finals. Today?s other top spellers come from the Corozal and Stann Creek Districts.
Oscar Vidal Jr., 2nd Place Winner
?Every Saturday I go to the educational centre and I study hard.?
Luciola West, Principal, Libertad Methodist School
?He has taken place last here, but he didn?t do well. But this year we went all for it. It was a team effort, his dad, the Ministry of Education, the schools teachers, the staff; we did extra hours with him.?
Oscar Vidal, Sr., Father
?We give them the foundation for them that is necessary for them to be able to uplift themselves, and that is exactly what I have been giving him all along the way.?
Leonie Magdaleno, 3rd Place Winner
?Well my teacher and I studied everyday after school and I studied at home with my mother and brother.?
Evelyn Thomas, Teacher, Sacred Heart Primary
?I saw that she was interested and I also got interested along with her. I had wished that she had gotten the first place today, but she did good because it was a tight contest.?
The students received prizes that included fully load computers. And if you think the spelling season is over, stay tuned for the Crystal Spelling Bee for some very special children next Thursday.
