New Brunswick’s first in-person spelling bee a buzzing success
The first New Brunswick Spelling Bee was held on April 11 at the Université de Moncton, with 7 of the 69 competitors coming from Woodstock.
“We had to build up the (local) team we had from scratch,” said chapter president and organizer Divya Gupta. Until this year, local competitors took part virtually.
The event was entirely volunteer-run, with 15 people helping make this happen.
Gupta, who lives in Woodstock, said organizers faced challenges with marketing and support, but the group worked hard and their efforts paid off. Two of the 10 provincial sponsors were from the region. She thanked the Woodstock Rotary Club and Greg McPherson for donating toward the initiative.
In the Spelling Bee, there are three separate categories, Primary, Junior, and Intermediate, where contestants are sorted into categories, depending on age.
Ethan Momoh won 1st prize in Primary, Isla Fraser in Junior, and Esther Adeniran in Intermediate.
All first-place finishers from each category will compete for the championship this weekend, May 23 and 24, in Toronto.
All winners received a cash prize, a trophy, and a certificate.
Prizes were $500 for 1st place, $350 for 2nd place, and $250 for 3rd place.
Gupta says these competitions are about much more than spelling capabilities.
“It not only increases the knowledge and literacy of the youth, but it also improves your writing skills; it improves your confidence, it improves many other skills, knowledge as well,” she said.
Gupta also stressed the importance of the event in improving a child’s public speaking skills.
