The Dawn in Education Spelling Bee 2016 Islamabad Regional Championship was no place for weak hearts. The sorting out of the best spellers from 140 schools from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Haripur, Muzzaffarabad, Mirpur, Hasanabdal, Taxila, Attock, Wah, Chakwal, Khewra, Kohat, Peshawar, Mansehra, Mardan, Bagh, Kamra, Skardu, Khaplu and Muree could not have happened without some broken hearts.

The stage for that was set from October 17 to 20, 2016, at the Islamabad Club Auditorium. The competition commenced with the pool rounds that were played among the 140 schools.

The four-day competition saw approximately 1,370 students participating. The pool rounds were played among 12 to 14 teams in each pool. All played through the ‘Buzz Word Round’ and ‘Double-Sting Round’. In case of a tie among the teams, there was also the ‘To Bee or Not to Bee Round’, which helped determine one team as a clear winner of the pool.

A showcase of spellbinding bees

The winning teams of the all the pool rounds played the ‘Elimination Rounds’ on individual basis. From these participants, the regional winners qualified for the National Spelling Bee Competition.

Certificates were distributed by the judges of the competition. The jury comprised two judges per session. Prizes and judges were courtesy Oxford University Press. Ms Anam Butt was the moderator from DAWN and Ms Azka Khan was the pronouncer for the competition.

Islamabad Regional Champions:

Age group: 9 – 11

Regional Champion: Saad Ahmed, Khaldunia High School; First Runner-up: Ayesha Kakakhel, EMS Girls High School; and Second Runner-up: Istaara Amjad, Khaldunia High School.

Age group: 12– 14

Regional Champion: Maryam Khan Wazir, EMS Girls School; First Runner up: Sameen Khan, Super Nova School; and Second Runner-up: Rehal Saeed, City School Capital Campus.

Age group: 12– 14

Regional Championship: Farah Jabeen Ashraf, Myer’s College Chakwal; First Runner-up: Areeba Uzair, EMS Girls High School; and Second Runner-up: Fatima Karim Kundi, EMS Girls High School.

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