The grand finale of the 13th Dawn In Education National Spelling Bee Competition concluded amidst tears and cheers at the Ali Auditorium, Ali Institute of Education, Lahore, on November 14, 2017. Over 7000 students from 800 schools across the country have been preparing year round to book their slot at the National Championship Round, to win the coveted DAWN Spelling Bee titles for the year 2017.

Thirty students from three age groups were declared winners of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad Regional Championships and thus, qualified for the final round.

The event started with the National Anthem and recitation from the Holy Quran, after that the welcome note was presented by the Dawn moderator. Then all the regional winners from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad were called upon the stage to give a brief introduction about their likes, dislikes and experience at Spelling Bee, which connected them with the audience beyond their name and face.

As the students adjusted on the bleachers, the audience extended a hearty applause and the first age group to prove its spelling prowess was of students between the ages of 15-17. As the competition proceeded, students from all three age groups showed their prowess.

The “Choose Your Category” round was followed by the “Rapid Bee” round and the cumulative score then determined the top three positions per age group. In case of a tie, the “To Bee or Not To Bee” round was played.

After these nail-biting rounds, the National Champion, First and Second runners-up for all three age groups were announced.

The chief guest, Commissioner Lahore Division Mr Abdullah Khan Sumbul, distributed the trophies, certificates, gifts and cash awards amongst the winners. Mr Sumbul congratulated the winners and appreciated the participating students’ efforts in preparing for this prestigious competition. He felt that Dawn in Education Spelling Bee is instrumental in promoting the use of English language among schoolchildren and lauded DAWN Media Group’s endeavour in this regard. He assured that the Government of Punjab is also devoted to the cause of education.

Mr Kashif Saeed, Director Operations The DAWN Media Group, thanked Mr Sumbul for being there as his presence was a source of encouragement for everyone.

The jury panel included Ms Ismat Riaz and Ms Qudsia Anwar as judges, Ms Rabeea Salman as Dawn moderator, whereas the pronouncer’s roles were carried out by Mr Tanwir Shah and Mr David Purrington.

The Spelling Bee Competition is part of the Dawn In Education programme and the judges for the nationwide competition are provided by Oxford University Press (OUP). The gift packs to all the 30 qualifying students for the National Championship were also provided by OUP.

National Champions

Age group: 9-11

Ayesha Kakakhel Champion

EMS High School Girls, Islamabad

Areeba Ali First runner-up

Bahria College, Cambridge Wing, Islamabad

Mikail Faisal Ejaz Second runner-up

Aitchison College, Lahore

Age group: 12-14

Sameen Khan Champion

Super Nova School, Islamabad

Malaika Hassan First runner-up

Beaconhouse School -BMI Girls, Islamabad

Aqsa Hassan Second runner-up

Lahore Grammar School, 55 Main Gulberg, Lahore

Age group: 15-17

Nirvana Amjad Champion

Khaldunia High School, Islamabad

Zayneb Moin First runner-up

Khaldunia High School, Islamabad

Rija Masroor Second runner-up

Generation School South, Karachi

Judges:Ms Ismat Riaz, Ms Qudsia Anwar and Ms Rabeea Salman

Pronouncers:Mr David Purrington and Mr Tanwir Shah

Gifts: Courtesy OUP

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 9th, 2017