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After three championship rounds, a winner emerged at the St. Croix Seventh-day Adventist School’s Spelling Bee Competition, held on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, at the school’s auditorium. After spelling “fiddle-faddle,” Widad Dawod was awarded first place and Shaun Victor became the runner-up.

In spelling the deciding word, the 14-year-old was declared the top speller at the competition and earned the coveted opportunity to represent the school at the district competition. “Should she emerge winner, she will represent the district of St. Croix on the territory competition,” stated the school’s counsellor and organizer of the competition, Mr.  Searl Gordon.

Widad and Shaun’s spelling techniques involved utilizing all available options to decipher their words – they used word meaning, word etymology and word-in-a-sentence. Widad, who was competing at her first spelling bee, displayed the poise of a veteran, and sailed through her words with concentration and determination. Along the way, she had to outlast a field of 16 individuals, ranging from grades 4 to 7. With arms by her side, she managed to contain her emotions as the field of spellers dwindled to two. The tense conclusion to the competition was relieved when she nailed the word, “fiddle-faddle,” to the applause of the student body.

A broad smile covered Widad’s face as the first-place announcement was made and her parents, who were in the audience to give her support, were delighted.  Her family displayed humility after her victory and demurely responded, “Thank you,” to expressions of congratulations.

All spellers displayed excellent sportsmanship throughout the competition. “The competition amongst the students was exciting and intense to watch as students went through rounds to determine first and second place. Our school is blessed to have the support from our community, teachers, and volunteers that helped to make this a success,” stated Mr. Gordon.

“The St. Croix Seventh-day Adventist School delights in the opportunity to strive for academic achievement. The school hosts events like these hoping to inspire the students to learn, not only inside but outside the classroom. Events like this help spur a student’s growth in areas like approaching public speaking and performing under pressure,” stated Mr. Johnson Southwell, principal of the school.