Although some students may find stepping onto a stage in front of the district and a panel of judges nerve wracking, for one third grader winning the district’s elementary spelling bee on Friday morning, Jan. 5, was a breeze.
Hosted at A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School, located at 1324 Laney-Walker Blvd., Richmond County held its annual middle and elementary spelling bee with each competition composed of one student from each elementary or middle school.
As 30 competitors were whittled down with spelling words such as “voracious,” “incandescent” and “simultaneously,” parents and other family members sat with bated breath in the audience while students spelled different nouns and adjectives.
“It’s amazing to see all our students at one location,” said Richmond County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Bradshaw. “I felt the intensity. The students were so focused and they’re all a winner to me.”
Bradshaw said he was thrilled to see students’ dedication and animation throughout the competition as he knows many of them underwent several hours of practicing.
“It’s amazing to see the student outcomes,” he said. “Teachers spend a lot of time – spelling is actually part of their curriculum – so they prepare the students to advance to the next level.”
Even though technology has advanced to have automatic spell check on most devices, the county’s 4-12 ELA Curriculum Coordinator Rhonda Mathis said spelling is an essential reading skill, and she was impressed with students’ abilities to recall many challenging words.
“I am actually a terrible speller, so when they spell these really hard words correctly it is astonishing to me because I cannot even pronounce half of them,” said Mathis.
Following several rounds, Deer Chase Elementary schooler Shamayah Fanfan won after correctly spelling “pronaos” and “Trinidadian” as her teacher and family cheered with immense joy in their seats.
“I feel awesome,” she said. “I thank God that this happened, because without God nothing is possible.”
With confidence and her mother’s support, Fanfan said she expected her success because she studied five days a week and felt that God was on her side.
“I would tell others [who want to be in the spelling bee] to pray, work hard and believe in your dreams,” she said.
After Fanfan happily said she did not find any of the words difficult to spell, her teacher Cindi Howard said she knew Fanfan would shine and bring home the glittering trophy.
“She was very confident – even during practice. The vocabulary was the hardest, but she did a lot of work,” Howard. “She was determined. When she left class yesterday, she was like, ‘oh I’m bringing that trophy back to class.’ We’re so proud of her and she earned it.”
Uncle Shane Louis said he was incredibly proud of his niece’s growth and maturity and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next in life.
“I’m not going to lie, I was shaking. I was so nervous, but I’m really proud of her,” said Louis. “It’s funny because just a few years ago, she was just a kid … it’s nice to see her mature.”
Louis said he was especially impressed when Fanfan spelled difficult words he had never even heard.
Mother Edwige Jean said there were no words to describe her pride in her daughter’s success.
“The happiness I feel right now is indescribable,” she said. “I just pray and hope that she wins regions.”
Second place winner Delvin Howard, a fifth grade student from C.T. Walker Magnet School, said he was also looking forward to competing in the regional spelling bee and was happy he advanced so far in the competition with his family’s full support.
“All it is is fun and I am very excited to be a finalist,” he said. “I practiced very, very, very often. I practiced most days of course. I’m very ready.”
Howard’s mother Kisha Walton said her son was very self-motivated in his studies and she was elated to see him move on in the competition. To her, spelling is an important skill for every citizen.
“It’s very important because, even going through society, there’s a lot dealing with language arts and phonics – when you’re filling out an application or being able to articulate or write about yourself,” she said. “So being able to have a vast vocabulary is very important for the future.”
Howard’s dad, Delvin Howard, said their family also cheered for every kid in the competition because each needs to feel loved and supported.
“They win from that,” he said.
Howard’s “bonus dad” Darryl Walton said he took pride in his son’s ability to push himself and study – no matter what anyone else thought.
“In a day and age where there is so much shorthand, initials and texting back and forth, to be able to spell is important,” he said. “Some of the words I haven’t even heard of, so it’s nice to be able to say, ‘he’s doing it all on his own and of his personal initiative.’ It’s beautiful.”
For prizes, Fanfan and Howard both received brand new Kindles to spur their interest in reading, as well as a medal, a ribbon, candy, a water bottle, a bee notebook, two sets of book series, Bananagrams, Scrabble, a bee pillow and blanket, a bee lanyard, a bee-themed cup and more.
Afterwards, middle schoolers also competed against each other until David Person, an A.R. Johnson Magnet eighth grader, was awarded first place with Kian Majors, a seventh grader from Hephzibah Middle School, placing second.
All students will next compete in the Regional Spelling Bee competition on Feb. 24.
