Claribel Figueroa is 2011 Spelling Bee Champion
Claribel Figueroa emerged the champion out of nine spellers in the Sunrise Productions 2nd annual National spelling Bee competition (NSBC) held on Sunday September 25, 2011 at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.
This year’s competition was opened to pupils from age 8 to 12. Contestants were required to learn 840 words along with their meanings.
Claribel received a trophy along with a cheque of $2000.00 while first runner up Khari Irish received $1000.00 and a trophy. Claribel and Khari both former pupils of the St Augustine Primary School are first year students at the Montserrat Secondary School; they both competed in last year’s contest. The first Sunrise Productions NSBC champion Habibata Kassim presented the certificates and prizes to the contestants.
Claribel was also the winner of one GoSat online account from Lime for the most consistent speller. A GoSat online account gives access to CaribbeanExams.com. LIME’S manager Joseph Cassell described that the online system is designed by test development professionals to assist Caribbean primary and high school students. The system is especially useful for students preparing for their pre-high school and post-high school examinations. It features thousands of practice questions.
From the beginning of the competition a number of spellers appeared to be extremely nervous on stage. Some spectators expressed the view that the apparent nervousness had a negative impact on some of the spellers’ performance. “My heart was beating very fast and my feet were trembling”, said one participant. Tension mounted as spellers were eliminated.
9 contestant took part in Sunrise Productions 2nd annual National spelling Bee competition
In an interview on ZJB Radio, Sunrise Productions member, Miss. Deonne Semple told Breakfast Show host Basil Chambers that Sunrise Productions is thinking of ways to improve the show. Miss. Semple thanked the parents and sponsors and urged parents to support their children in all their endeavours.
Sunrise Productions is a youth oriented group that focuses on the development and advancement of young people on Montserrat. The group is led by six young volunteers and so far they have been making contributions to the academic and cultural development of Montserrat.
This year spelling Bee competition was sponsored by His Excellency Governor Adrian Davis, Ministry of Education, NAGICO Insurance, LIME Montserrat and Mr. Herman Cupid Francis.
