The National Spelling Bee concluded yesterday with Wainwright Marshall, of Amelia’s Ward Primary, in Linden, spelling his way to victory.
Marshall, 10, was declared the winner when he spelt the winning word—photosynthesis—after an almost-hour long showdown with his main competitor, Priya Singh, of Blairmont Primary, in a tie-breaker at the National Cultural Centre. Singh was declared the first runner-up in the competition, which was made up of 11 students, between the ages of 9 and 10, from across the country.
In the last round, supplementary words from the judges had to be used as Marshall and Singh exhausted the words that had been selected for the competition.
Marshall received an iPad, compliments of sponsor the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T), and a trophy while Singh received a Kindle, compliments of Gizmos and Gadgets, a phone and a trophy. The other finalists also received trophies, card readers and memory cards from Cellphone Shack. Some also received $20,000 book vouchers from Giftland OfficeMax.
Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GT&T Major General (Rtd) Joe Singh told the students about the importance of education and the origin of the spelling bee competition.
He also noted that it was an important opportunity for the students to develop their diction and spelling, while adding that it takes a collective effort that allows the students to become better spellers.
Meanwhile, Minster of Education Priya Manickchand said in her address to the audience that over the years her ministry has seen an increase in the number of persons involved in education. She also noted that a great representation from the various regions was seen.
