By Lovern Hayes,
Staff Reporter
THE BOYS could not be bettered on Friday as the Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee 2000/2001 Competition shifted focus to St. Elizabeth and Manchester on the final day of the parish tour.
Though outnumbered in both parish finals, the boys held their ground and delivered. They came, they saw, they conquered. The two boys who secured the Parish Champion titles were, from the onset, confident, determined and articulate.
The spelldown in St. Elizabeth began at 9:40 a.m. with 42 spellers - 20 boys and 22 girls. The first few rounds of the competition served to set apart the cream of the crop, so that after 30 minutes, only half of the initial spellers remained -- eight boys and 13 girls.
Careful, proficient spellers made up this set and they took the spellmaster into the list of "Intermediate Words" before the group began to disintegrate. The eight boys held on while the girls crumbled around them and fell out of the contest. Nevertheless, in the end, they too bowed under the pressure of the competition and so the top five consisted of four girls and one boy.
Eleven-year-old Sadiki Jhagroo of Glen Stuart Primary was the first to exit this group, having been unable to spell 'PRIVILEGE'. Mountain Side Primary's eleven-year-old speller, Shanieke Dillion, held on for a relatively long time before she was overcome by 'SIEGE'. Her exit from the group meant that two girls and one boy were left to vie for the Parish Champion title.
They were poised, careful and very articulate. They steadily propelled the spellmaster toward the "Final Words" with no one showing signs of giving up the chase for the title.
Ten-year-old Omar Brooks' calm, careful spelling saw him past ten-year-old Daynia Farquharson of Bethlehem All-Age and eleven-year-old Kimmone Hemmings of Burnt Savanna Primary.
Brooks, a student of Glen Stuart Primary, received the strongest challenge from Hemmings, but was able to hold her off long enough to claim both the Boys' and Parish Champion titles.
Farquharson stumbled on 'CHRYSALIS' and so had to settle for third place. Hemmings was bowled by 'IRIDESCENT,' which Brooks was able to spell. He then sealed the issue with 'JEOPARDY' leaving Hem-mings to settle for second place.
The competition in Manchester began at 3:20 p.m. The variables here were the same as in 'St. Bess', there were 42 spellers vying for the Parish Champion title -- 20 boys and 22 girls. It was therefore interesting to note that the result was also similar; a boy beat out the rest of the competition to claim the Parish Champion title.
At every stage of the competition, the boys were outnumbered. At 3:50 p.m., the first intermission, there were 23 spellers -- 13 girls and 10 boys; two intermissions later at 4:45 p.m., only the top five spellers remained -- four girls and one boy, as was also the case in St. Elizabeth. The atmosphere was tense as this group was the 'best of the best' and they all had a point to prove, the lone male especially.
By this time, the spellmaster was well into the 'Intermediate Words' and the competitors showed no signs of strain. Minutes later, eleven-year-old Kitsan Mullings of Hatfield Primary and Junior High, succumbed to 'LITIGATION' and placed fifth.
The next to fall was ten-year-old Maren Johnson of West Indies College Prep. She was unable to spell 'MERCANTILE' and so had to settle for fourth place, leaving Porus High's Sherrie Stewart and Mandeville All Age's Karen Meikle and Orville Thompson to claim the top three positions.
Thirteen-year-old Stewart held on for as long as she could, but try as she might she was unable to spell 'ORTHODOX'. She exited the competition leaving the two Mandeville All-Age spellers to finish the competition.
It was at this point that the tension seemed too much for eleven-year-old Thompson to bear, and he collapsed in tears.
However, after some comfort from his teacher, he regained his composure, put his shoulder to the wheel and confidently faced the final hurdle - getting past his team-mate.
This duo took the spellmaster straight through the 'Final Words' and into 'Unseen Words' before eleven-year-old Meikle was stumped by 'ABRUPTION'.
Thompson spelt this accurately and also spelt 'ABSOLUTION' to claim the Boys' Champion and Parish Champion titles, leaving Meikle to claim second place and the Girls' Champion title.
The sponsors of the 2000/2001 Spelling Bee competition are: Colgate Palmolive Co. (Ja) Ltd.; Jamaica Drink Company Ltd.; Nabisco (Ja) Ltd.; Sangster's Bookstores Ltd.; Tastee Ltd.; Jamaica National Building Society; National Commercial Bank; Victoria Mutual Building Society; National Housing Trust; and the Jamaica Teachers' Association Co-op Credit Union.
