And finally the day also dawned, which every student taking part in the 12th Dawn in Education Spelling Bee from every part of the country had been dreaming about all along. It was the finals.

November 15 was the day when all the regional champions from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad clashed. Each had a right to be there. All had reached the National Spelling Bee Championship 2016 after gruelling sessions in the Regionals held in their respective cities.

It was the most anticipated moment of their young lives. However, their preparation for the competition was not less than anyone’s, which gave them the confidence to move ahead. They entered the Islamabad Club Auditorium with high hopes and a sense of healthy competition against each other. Their parents, teachers and mentors accompanied them too, to lend support, while also boosting their morale.

The competition kicked off with the introduction of participants and the jury members in the first round. There was pin-drop silence in the auditorium as soon as the participants took their place on the podium, one by one. Some seemed confident while some also seemed nervous.

Still they managed to remind themselves that they had to think very carefully and not blurt out the spelling of any word just to get over with it. Therefore, each participant asked for the words to be pronounced again and again until they were sure. They also asked what part of speech each word belonged to and, to not leave anything to chance, they even went for the other option of asking for it to be used in a sentence ahead of attempting to actually spell it.

And even then some got the dreaded reply, “I am afraid that’s incorrect” from the pronouncer, making their spirits nosedive into the ocean of misery from where they had to quickly come back up for air in time to be absolutely ready for the next word put to them.

On the other hand, “That’s correct” by the pronouncer brought so much joy that they had to stop it from going to their head and become overconfident to ruin it all for their next attempt. They simply couldn’t afford to throw it all away at this point, so all kept their emotions under control.

Besides, they knew well that it was, after all, a competition where only one would be the winner. The jury members, too, after careful examining of each word, concluded the results after every round.

Starting with the 15 to 17 years age group, the sensational evening with so much suspense as to who will be the winner, concluded with the 9 to 11 years age group. Finally, three top-scoring participants were declared the winners in each age group. They were heartily congratulated by the jury of the evening.

Miss Christina Tomlinson from Public Affairs Department of US Embassy distributed the much-deserved trophies, cash prizes, certificates and gift packs to all the winners. The gift packs were arranged by Oxford University Press.

All the other participants were also awarded cash prizes as they had managed to reach this level at least, even if they didn’t make it to the victory stand. Their enthusiasm was encouraged by the chief guest, who shared her own experience of being a participant of such a competition a long time ago.

The jury panel included Ameena Saiyid, Managing Director Oxford University Press, and Mrs Zahra Ansari, from Gems Learning. They were thanked for their efforts by the chief guest. Ms Azka Khan was awarded a certificate of appreciation for being a part of the National Spelling Bee Competition for the last 11 years.

The National Champions:

Age group 9 – 11

National Champion: Eshaal Fatima Bashir, Learning Alliance, DHA Lahore; First Runner-up: Ayesha Kakakhel, EMS Girls High School, Islamabad; and Second Runner-up: Istaara Amjad, Khaldunia High School, Islamabad.

Age group 12 to 14:

National Champion: Maryam Khan Wazeer, EMS Girls High School, Islamabad; First Runner-up Aryan Tauqeer, Links School, Karachi; and Second Runner-up: Shahmeer Mohammad Nawaz, Aitchison College, Lahore.

Age group 15 to 17:

National Champion: Sania Irfan, Generation School (South Campus), Karachi; First Runner-up: Fatima Karim Kundi, EMS Girls High School, Islamabad; and Second Runner-up: Munema Zahid, Lahore Grammar School, Model Town, Lahore.

MESSAGE

Ameena Saiyid

OUP

Well-deserved congratulations to Dawn on the successful completion of the 12th National Spelling Bee contest, 2016!

The annual Spelling Bee Rounds are much-awaited and keenly contested events for schools and students across the country. From its initiation in 2005, Dawn’s Spelling Bee has come a long way with eager participation from institutions across the board.

The standards have been raised gradually and met successfully each year, reflecting students’ interest and ability.

Oxford University Press Pakistan is proud to partner Dawn in raising educational standards by enhancing vocabulary and improving language skills through the Spelling Bee competitions.

I wish Dawn further success in this field and look forward to celebrating the achievements of our young generation.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 10th, 2016