On October 22, the auditorium of International Islamic University Islamabad was packed by the contestants of DAWN Spelling Bee 2019, the most awaited and exciting interschool spelling competition, organised by DAWN Media Group.

This four-day competition completed its 15th year in 2019 and was attended by the brilliant contestants with their teachers, parents and friends, representing their school.

At the start, the microphone was handed over to the pronouncer, Mr David Purrington, to start the competition and the participants were asked to take their seats. Two rounds were played by each team, as the total number of teams participated in the competition was 130, whereas 1,500 students participating from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Murree, Abbottabad, Rawalakot, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Topi, Chakwal, Muzzaffarabad, Jehlum, Taxila, Wah, Attock and Kamra.

As the competition started, the air was filled with words, alphabets, definitions, spellings. A short window of 40 seconds was given to each participant to spell the word. Some students were interested in knowing the meaning and origin of the word, while some were confident enough to spell it as soon as they heard the word. Sometimes, nervousness could be seen on the faces when they are not able to answer correctly, whereas many participants were confident enough to manage and made it to the elimination round. The panels of distinguish judges was arranged by Oxford University Press and moderator of the event was from DAWN.

The students who qualified for the National round were the best in their teams, to be titled as Regional Winners. Their hard work paid off and their performance was a strong indication of the importance of English language and the process of learning. The Regional winners were awarded with certificates and prizes and were ready to fly for the National Competition of Spelling Bee round.

Winners

Age group 9-11

Regional Champion: Anya Ali Khan from International Grammar School, Islamabad; First Runner-up: Hashim Talal from Roots Millennium Schools Pine Campus, Abbottabad; Second Runner-up: Hanin Zafar from International Grammar School, Islamabad.

Age group 12-14

Regional Champion: Muhammad Taquee from EMS High School Boys Branch, Islamabad; First Runner-up: Ozair Ahmed Khan from EMS High School Junior Branch, Islamabad; Second Runner- up: Hasaan Ahmed Khalid from EMS High School Junior Branch, Islamabad.

Age Group 15-17

Regional Champion: Zaid Rayan Khan from EMS High School Boys Branch, Islamabad; First Runner-up: Eeman Fatemah Humayun from Roots School System DHA-1 Flagship Campus; Second Runner-up: Umama-Binte-Umair from EMS High School Girls Branch, Islamabad. n

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 7th, 2020