PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – Joetay Boyah, a sixth-grade student at the ArcelorMittal Area C School, has won the championship of the eighth National Annual Spelling Bee Competition.
The 11-year-old claimed the championship out of the 15 competitors from seven counties in the grand finals at Paynesville City Hall on Friday.
Twelve of the 15 participants in the grand finals were eliminated before the last round of the game.
Joetay beat his two remaining challengers in the 30th round of the competition and spelled all of his words correctly. The event was witnessed by a huge crowd of educators and students from participating counties, which included Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Margibi, Montserrado, Grand Kru, Sinoe, and Grand Bassa.
The spelling bee victor expressed happiness over the win and praised his school and parents for their support.
“I thank my school and parents for preparing me for this day,†he said.
Jackson Waylee, an eighth-grade student at Zwedru Multilateral High School in Nimba, took second place in the competition.
The second runner-up, Abraham Tarplah, is a 14-year-old and an eighth-grade student at the Linda Thomas Greenfield Preparatory School at the Edward Beyan Kesselee Military Barracks on the Roberts Field-Monrovia highway.
L-R, Joetay Boyah, Abraham Tarplah and Jackson Waylee, Champion, Second Place and Second Runner-up winners of the 8th National Spelling Bee Competition. Photo: Gbatemah Senah
The three winners were awarded US $1000, $800, $500 respectively in cash price for taking first, second, and third place. The prizes were in addition to the trophies and medals they received.
Aagon F. Tingba, deputy education minister for administration, praised the students for their commitment and excellent performance during the program.
Tingba said the performance of the students indicates improvement in the country’s educational system.
He said, “Indeed you can see that our educational system is getting better.â€
Tingba praised the organizing committee for being consistent in engaging stakeholders for the success of the program.
This year’s National Spelling Bee was organized by the Ministry of Education and partially supported by the Central Bank of Liberia and Pearson Longman. It was initially launched in 2008 by the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy.
According to organizers, the program is intended to promote the culture of reading in schools.
Augustine Kuleh, Chairman of the Liberia National Spelling Bee Committee and Assistant Education Minister for Student Personnel Development. Photo: Gbatemah Senah
The Chairman of the Liberia National Spelling Bee Committee and Assistant Education Minister for Student Personnel Services, Augustine Kuleh, said 12 of the country’s 15 counties participated in this year’s competition.
“Three counties, including Gbarpolu and River Gee, did not turn out for the entire phase of the program,†he said.
He did not state reasons for the three counties not showing interest in the program, but noted that the competition began at the classroom level. Students from schools then competed against each other and then the competition reached the district level before coming to the finals.
He said spelling tackles the challenge of poor reading skills among students, adding that students and education authorities must take spelling as a fundamental component of reading.
“Using the spelling bee is a way to encourage our students to read,†he said.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Education is planning to improve the competition and make it more exciting for students by creating a spelling bee booklet and include additional opportunities including scholarships for winners of the competition.
Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah
