The fourteenth national Spelling Bee was held today in Orange Walk and Belize’s best young spellers participated. After three rounds, it would be a girl from her home district who would claim the prize of spelling supremacy, untangling the exquisite word: “forsythia” – a type of flowering plant. Here’s her crowning moment.
[Announcer: And the new national Coca Cola spelling Champion 2008, Orange Walk District, Guinea Grass R.C. Zaneen Pott.]
Jacqueline Godwin,
One of the prizes is a computer. Do you have a computer at home?
Zaneen Pott, Champion
“No this is the first one.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So you must be feeling pretty excited about that?
Zaneen Pott,
“Yes.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
What you like overall about this Coca Cola Spelling Bee, it has been going on for fourteen years. Did you think you would ever win this competition?
Zaneen Pott,
“Maybe.”
Manuel Polanco, Principal
“Last year we managed to come in second place in the nationals as well and so we said this year we have to make it first and I was sure Zaneen was going to take us there. So we are really happy and proud that it happened.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
What did the school do to prepare Zaneen for the competition?
Manuel Polanco,
“We have a little secret and we won’t let it go because next year we plan to be here again. The secret is hard work, lot of work, lot of dedication. Zaneen has been working from I would say October last year. We have our own Spelling Bee and from there we take our representative way before the Coca Cola calls for the competition. And so we work hard with her and she has sacrificed a lot of her PE sessions, a lot of things with her friends, things she would normally want to do, and that is how we made it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Give us your overview on the students’ preparation for the fourteenth competition.
Nick Pollard, Bowen & Bowen
“Oh I was a little bit disappointed. In school I was one of those same students that if I prepare for a contest and they postpone it, I am not good after that. I think that it had a role to do with four of our contestants going down in the first two rounds. They had prepared for Friday and because of the floods we had postponed and having the contest midweek is not a good time. You know they are very focused on their school work.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How nervous were you?
Manuel Polanco,
“A little less than her.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So you were confident?
Manuel Polanco,
“Definitely because we worked hard with her and I must say thanks also to her teacher. He worked hard with her as well. It was both of us basically and some other teachers at the initial stage of the competition.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And the school gets a computer as well?
Manuel Polanco,
“Definitely we get another computer. With this we have five for our school. We will keep working with the spelling bee until we reach 20 computers, all from the spelling bee contest.”
Ian Correa, 2nd Place
“I study my dictionary, also I was helped with the way different letters sound, what you can substitute for them and such.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How did it feel like being up there on the stage?
Ian Correa,
“I was kind of nervous but I knew I was well prepared so that calm be down.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So you’re very happy with your results?
Ian Correa,
“I am very happy. I wanted to win the first place but I guess I have to be happy with what God gave me.”
Ianney Pelayo from Wesley Upper Primary School captured third place. Bowen and Bowen Limited awarded the national winners with fully loaded computers and printers including trophies while the ministry of education provided tuition and book scholarships to the three national champion spellers.
