Finals of the National Spelling Bee Competition

The 16th Edition of the National Spelling Bee Competition for Secondary Schools, run by the English Speaking Union, took place on Tuesday May 30th at the Auditorium of the Mauritius Commercial Bank, St Jean. The four Winners, Form I, II, III and IV, are from the Royal College Curepipe, Northfields International High School, Royal College Port Louis and Dr Maurice Curé State College. 

The finals of the National Spelling Bee Competition for secondary schools, run by the English Speaking Union gathered on Tuesday the best spellers across the island. It was in an exciting and congenial atmosphere that the students of Form I, II, III and IV competed with each other. Each participant gave his and her very best to correctly spell the words. 

Despite the high level of the competition, four students demonstrated excellent spelling skills. Their effort, weeks of preparation and hard work and accuracy were rewarded. Andrew Ip Min Wan from the Royal College Curepipe bagged the first prize in the Form I category, Arushi Khare from Northfields International High School is the grand winner in the Form II category, student of the Royal College Port Louis Ryan Jian Hao Hsiao Fang Yen came out first in the Form III category and Kawthar Sahaduth from Dr Maurice Cure State College won the first prize in the Form IV category. 

The proficient spellers as well as all the participants had the opportunity to learn new English words as well as the pronunciation and definition of those new words while enhancing their spelling and enriching their English vocabulary. The competition this year was sponsored by the US Embassy, The Mauritius Commercial Bank, Reinsurance Solutions and Currimjee Foundation. Following the competition, Ms Tedde Thompson, Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy congratulated the winners. “You should be tremendously proud of your accomplishment. Also to all participants, you did very well and should be proud. Hats off to you all! You really have to have a good ear to be able to correctly spell those words. At the US Embassy we are delighted to be part of this competition,” she uttered.

All finalists were congratulated and received prizes from the US Embassy and the MCB. The four winners received prizes from Ms Tedde Thompson as well as cash prizes cash prizes and corporate gifts from Raoul Gufflet, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd.  They also received gifts and medals from the English Speaking Union.  

The Spelling Bee concept originates in the United States and is one of the oldest and most iconic competitions in the States. It has now spread to many English-speaking countries. In Mauritius, the competition was launched in 2002 on the initiative of Sir Victor Glover, our Patron, and Mr Sanjit Teelock, our Master of Ceremony, with the help of the Embassy of the United States. The Mauritius Commercial Bank supports this initiative since 2006 by donating cash prizes and corporate gifts to the Finalists, and since 2015, the MCB hosts the Finals in their prestigious auditorium.

Form I category: Andrew Ip Min Wan

Andrew told us that he practiced everyday weeks before the competition. “I would practice everyday at school with my teacher and at home with my parents. The competition was not that tough. In fact I found it quite easy,” he said. Andrew likes reading books and playing tennis and likes English and Maths as school subjects. 

Form II category; Arushi Khare

It’s been only six months since she’s in Mauritius. However it was not her first participation in a spelling bee competition. Originally from India, Arushi had participated in the Junior Category while she was still there and had won the 1st Runner Up prize. Arushi confided that she thought the competition was very tough. “It was overall quite easy. Since I qualified for the finals, I started practicing.” The big fan of writer Rick Riordan wants to become an author in the future. 

Form III category: Ryan Jian Hao Hsiao Fang Yen

Ryan has won the spelling bee competition for the third year in a row. The student of Royal College Port Louis said that he was motivated to participate as he wanted to win again. “My English teacher at school would make me practice new words. I also practiced at home with my parents. The competition was quite tough and the students were of a very good level. I plan to participate next year in the Form IV category.” Ryan dreams of becoming a doctor. 

Form IV category: Kawthar Sahaduth

Despite her fourth place in last year’s competition in the Form III category, Kawthar did not gave up. “I decided to participate again and did not expect winning at all. I am over the moon,” happily said the student of Dr Maurice Cure State College. She shared that she practiced a lot at home with the help of her mother, who is a French teacher, her uncle and her grand father. “I practiced over 180 words. English is my favourite subject at school and I would like to either become an author, a lawyer or an English teacher in the future.” Kawthar thanked her family for their relentless support throughout. She encourages other students to take part in the competition. “I advise students in secondary schools around the island to open Spelling Bee clubs. This will not only help them to practice. I also encourage all students to read so as to enrich their vocabulary.