YOUNG MASTERS of the word will display their talents, starting today, in the National Spelling Bee Competition which will see the selection of winners at the parish level in the 44th staging of The Gleaner's Children's Own-sponsored event.
Beginning today and going through until November 22, students will gather at designated meeting places in each parish to tackle spelling exercises in their bid to win the parish crown.
In each parish, dozens of boys and girls are expected to participate. All schools subscribing to the Children's Own, a Gleaner publication, have been encouraged to get involved. The competition begins in Clarendon this morning and moves to Kingston in the afternoon.
Only one champion (either boy or girl) will represent each parish. The competition is a spell-down, and no handicaps are given at this level. As a child misspells a word, he or she will be eliminated. The prize winner at this level will receive a medal and an all-expenses paid trip to Kingston for the national finals.
In early February 2003, the competition will resume in earnest as the parish winners contend for the national prize. At the national level, a new spelling bee book, the 'Children's Own Spellingthe national prize. At the national level, a new spelling bee book, the 'Children's Own Spelling Bee' will be used for the competition.
For young wordsmiths, the Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee Competition has become one of the most anticipated events on the school calendar.
The competition has been made even more popular with the participation of national winners in the International Scripps Howard competition in the United States.
The 76th annual staging of the Scripps Howard competition will take place in Washington D.C. on May 28 and 29, 2003. The winner of the Gleaner's competition will be there to participate.
To replicate the 1998 success of Jody-Anne Maxwell, the first Jamaican to have won the international competition, is the goal of many of these young spellers.
In 1998, Jody-Anne became the first non-American to take the top prize in the 71-year history of the prestigious Spelling Bee competition. It is hoped that next year, one of the entrants in the current competition will equal her achievement.
The Spelling Bee competition encourages participants and other students to improve their word power abilities. Students learn time management and studying skills which they can then apply to other academic endeavours. Excelling in this area also has the effect of raising self-esteem.
The list of prizes to be won has multiplied over the years as more and more contributors have come on board to identify themselves with what is now a popular national event.
