Saturday 14th March, 2020 was an eventful day as primary school pupils within the FCT and environs gathered at the Premiere Academy Multipurpose Hall, for the 2020 edition of the Annual Spelling Bee competition, supported by Zenith Bank Plc.
A total of twelve schools were ably represented to compete for the first prize, namely: Kingscare Universal School, Karryfield International School, Benford International School, The Shepherd School, Daisies Academy, NAFOWA Little Angels, Living Fountain International School, Claret International School, Baybos Home School, Springville International School and Fatima School.
The invited schools showed up at 8:35am for registrations and accreditation, and a quick tour around the school premises; showing the classrooms, science labs, media centres, computer labs, library, sports arena and hostels.
At exactly 9AM, the pupils gathered at the hall to commence the business of the day and the Principal - Mr. Rowland Eno, declared the event open with his welcome speech.
The audience consisted of students, pupils, educators, parents and guardians beaming with excitement and anticipation, as they waited for the champion of the Premiere Academy – Spelling Bee 2020 to emerge.
During the preliminary stage, the contestants were briefed on the rules of the game and the pattern of events from the first round to the elimination stage.
As the competition progressed, the contestants impressed the audience with their sharp dexterity and accuracy in spelling of words and their meanings. They showed their preparedness and readiness to win the grand prize. The tussle continued vibrantly, reaching up to twelve rounds, before a Zwalda Favour of NAFOWA Little Angels, emerged as the winner, with the word: “MAGNANIMOUS”. The first and second runners up, battled further for another set of rounds, till Onyinye Anih of Fatima School emerged as the first runner up – second position.
The quest for the second runner up – third position was characterized by a tie between Jason Okibe Oga of Benford School and Okoronkwo Fechukwu of Living Fountain International School. The tie continued as both contestants refused to miss the spellings assigned to them, but after a rigorous battle, a winner emerged eventually as the second runner up.
The hall went agog with music cheers and screams, as the competition came to a close with the contestants celebrating and congratulating themselves.
The Spelling Bee competition was in line with Premiere Academy core value of developing children in public speaking skills through a rigorous educational programme. Spelling Bee requires each child to learn the spellings and meanings of words, a good way to boost the memory and enhance effective communication skills.
