TRICIA SIMMS -13, Marymount High, St Mary
Tricia Simms is St. Mary's champion speller. She is thirteen years old and attends Marymount High School in that parish. Her interest in the spelling bee contest has been for several years and she has decided to enter for several reasons. She says, "I think the Spelling Bee Contest will build my comprehension skills and help me to better able to write my compositions. The contest will also help me in other subject areas."

Tricia has been studying real hard these days to ensure that she is in top shape. "Having done my usual schoolwork I stay hours after school with my coach and having gone home I put in a number of hours. Sometimes I missed classes and even forget to eat my lunch."

Tricia who lives with her mother, Paulette White, hopes to be a medical doctor in the future. The reasons she gives is, "I love helping people from I was a small child and I hope to continue doing so."

Neelam Ramchandani -10, Mt. Alvernia Prep., St. James

FOR FIVE years Mt. Alvernia Preparatory School has watched as Ardenne High took the top spot in the National Spelling Bee competition, leaving them to settle for second place each time.

With good reason they will be seeking this year to outsmart their worthy opponent with hopeful, Neelam Ramchandani, representing St. James.

Neelam comes from a school that has produced nine parish champions in ten years, proof of a tradition of excellence.

"We hope to step up a notch this year with Neelam," says coach of ten years, Donald McPherson, a little tired of settling for the silver and yearns to earn the gold. His son Ryan McPherson was parish champion in 1994 and came out second in the finals, to Ardenne of course.

For Neelam this tradition of excellence results in the pressure to do well but this only acts as a motivator.

"It is a lot of pressure but I know that in the end it will pay off,' she said.

Neelam, who aims to become the first doctor in her family, says that as a reward for her success in the Spelling Bee, her parents Mr. and Mrs. Lachu Ramchandani took her to Beaches Negril, where she spent a day.

A deserving reward for her sacrifices, settling down to studying mornings before class, in the afternoons and in the evenings at home.

This is hard work and she aims to make it all worthwhile when the time arrives.

"I want to do my school and teacher proud," she said.

Of this Mr. McPherson is sure. After all they have only to concentrate on one opponent, Ardenne, as the rest have always been easy.

"I have been working hard with Neelam who is very committed. History shows our real opponent has always been Ardenne and we feel we are ready for them this year," he said.

Alicia Forrest - 10, Portmore Missionary, St Catherine

THE MOOD at Portmore Missionary Prep school is one of unsuppressed jubilation as both students and teachers there are celebrating the hard work it took to get the 16-year-old prep school 'on the map' again. And coaching 10-year-old Alicia Forrest seemed to be a piece of cake, according to her class teacher Hazle Reid. The grade 5 teacher explained that the child has been involved with the spelling club since grade two.

With dedicated teachers like Mrs. Reid, the school has made waves in St. Catherine with its students' resilience. And Alicia Forrest's victory was merely icing on the cake, as the school seeks to make strides in the community. The Portmore Missionary Prep and Kindergarten School began its operations as a basic school in 1976, and then upgraded its facilities to gain the preparatory school status in 1983. And have they achieved, copping medals and first places in the prep school netball competition, drama and science competitions, music, speech and drama competitions at the parish level. The school has over 20 teachers, most of whom took special effort in coaching little Alicia, all working to keep the spelling club active where Alicia has been training since grade two.

And obviously the training paid off, as teachers and students alike celebrate another victory.

"The school has been involved in Spelling Bee for the past 10 years", Mrs Reid ended, "Alicia's victory has had a great impact on the school, and with her victory, I plan to continue (coaching) as long as I'm here".

Rhea Brathwaithe - 13, Ardenne High, St. Andrew

IT HAS been a year and a half since Jody Ann Maxwell topped the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee championship in Washington DC, and since then, Ardenne High School has become almost synonymous with Spelling Bee. This year, the festive colours are on again as the institution celebrates another victory with 13 year old Rhea Brathwaite. But there is little surprise on campus, as with Reverend Glen Archer as coach, the win was almost predictable.

With Rhea being among the prestigious 14 who are hoping to enter Scripps Howard with much fanfare, Ardenne has compromised, shifting exams to accommodate her, going all out to ensure that she has the best training available. And Rhea can be assured that the 62-year-old institution, will always be behind her, with a hard working student population that excels in whatever field they enter, whether it be Schools Challenge Quiz or Debating, the school has produced some of Jamaica's best. Living by the motto, "with God as guide, seek the best", Vice Principal at the school told The Gleaner that they are all very excited for little Rhea, congratulating Reverend Archer who has produced many winners and is currently also coaching the Kingston and St. Catherine champions. And life goes on at Ardenne, as the entire school continues to offer their prayers for Rhea.

Kimmiesha Francis - 10, Exelsior High, Kingston

FOR A school that has no history of participating in Spelling Bee, Excelsior High certainly proved that they were a force to be reckoned with when 10-year-old Kimmeshia Francis outranked spellers all over Kingston to crop the Kingston championship. And today the mood at the school is the same, as the entire school has joined in congratulating the young miss.

According to her chaperone Allison Peart, the response has been good, and children are more in tune to The Children's Own newspaper. They are beginning to like the paper as it reminds a lot of them of the competition.

She explains that the focus is on Kimmeshia, and her win has them really hyped up. "Previously they saw it outside of their experience, but now she's seen as model speller and role model".

As the high school continues to live up to the ideals of its founder Dr. Wesley Powell, the school's Motto 'Age Animo' (Do it with thy might) on which the school was founded, continues to be respected and continues to be the basis on which decisions are made. As the school celebrates, the jubilant mood will continue as Excelsior celebrates victory again, revelling in the aura that little Kimmeshia created. With their very active seventh grade spelling quiz team that has the entire school spelling, obviously spelling Bee is coming to mean a lot to Excelsior, and Kimmeshia has merely made a rose-lined bed for future spellers to bask in.

Stacy-Ann Wright -11, Glen Stuart Primary, St. Elizabeth

STACY-ANN Wright, fourth in a line of Spelling Bee Parish Champions from Glen Stuart Primary in St. Elizabeth, is confident she can do her school proud this year at the finals.

This confident little Miss, says she is excited but a little nervous about representing her parish and her school at the national level.

"I am a little nervous but I am also excited. I know I can do well and I will. I was not surprised when I became Parish Champion because I was working very hard and I am still working hard so I know I will be successful," she said.

The 10-year-old from Providence District in Maggotty says she gets a lot of encouragement from her large family, her school and her teachers.

"They encourage me a lot and say I must do my best," she said.

Stacy-Ann, who entered the competition for the first time last year, is from a family of six with three brothers and two sisters. Her teacher Miss Janice Griffiths, also a first timer, say she will be happy as long as she does well

"Stacy-Ann is very intelligent and hardworking. Because she is so young she sometimes lose track but I am right there to get her focused again," she said.

No doubt Stacy's confidence and the support of her family will lead her to success.

Andrea Chisholm ­ 12, Portland High, Portland

ANDREA CHISHOLM is a determined student. Having failed three times to represent Portland she tried the fourth time and is now Portland's champion speller. The 12 year-old student at Portland High School has been preparing hard for this contest. "I am reading a lot of newspapers because we could possible get words which one may not realise appeared in the paper. In fact I have been doing close to three hours preparation in any one day," Andrea said.

The Portland speller who lives with her parents Welesley and Joan Chisholm describes herself as "Fair-skinned, short and medium built."

If Andrea should become the Prime Minster of Jamaica the first changes she would make is "find more jobs for the unemployed. There are too many poor people around who have nothing to," she said.

If she wins the contest the people who have helped her would be rewarded. "I would give them thank-you cards because I am always grateful for whatever I get no matter how small it is."

Sharla Williams - 11,Frome Prep., Westmoreland

FROME PREPARATORY School has been producing excellent spellers over the years who have made their mark on the National Spelling Bee Competition.

This year, 11-year-old Sharla Williams hopes to continue this proud tradition in the footsteps of three former students, two of whom placed fourth and the other fifth at the finals.

"I am just going to go and do my best," she said.

She notes that her family, friends, school and community are all proud of her and want to see her do well.

"They are all very proud of me," she said.

She gets support all round, from her teacher Mrs. Cherila Maddan at school and from her parents Mr. and Mrs. Everton Williams at home.

"We train for four hours per day at school and Sharla gets assignments which she does at home with the help of her parents who are very supportive," said Mrs. Maddan.

For Sharla this means less playing and television watching, as home time is spent on studying her spelling and preparing for the GSAT placement examination.

"Now I watch television a lot less and I have less time to play because I have to study," said Sharla.

Her apparent dedication has earned her the respect of her coach, Mrs. Maddan, who is well aware of the sacrifices that have to be made to do well. Her daughter who also attended Frome Preparatory was the 1993 Parish Champion and went on to place fourth at the finals.

"Sharla is quite a dependable student, she practices at school and I trust her to continue this at home," said her teacher.

She is confident Sharla will follow in the footsteps of the others as they have all had a solid background in reading and spelling.



Andrew Young -11, Lucea Primary, Honover

LUCEA PRIMARY has high hopes for Andrew Young in the upcoming Spelling Bee finals. He did the school proud last year by becoming the first student from that school to emerge parish champion in the history of the Spelling Bee Competition and was also the only boy to reach the finals.

"I am training very hard because I want to do well in the competition," said the 11-year-old.

He spends an average of 16 hours a week studying; on Saturdays, early in the mornings before devotion, after school and during lunchtime says his teacher, Miss Barbara Reid.

"I don't feel all that happy about studying all the time especially when my friends are out playing but I know that to do well I have to train hard," he said. His teacher has every confidence in him and doesn't mind making this sacrifice too.

Miss Reid, who has been teaching at Lucea Primary for some 18 years, is no stranger to success in the Spelling Bee.

While at Rusea's High in Hanover, where she went after spending three years at Lucea Primary, two of the students she trained went on to become parish champions. She expects Andrew will go on to do well.

"I want to become a Scientist when I grow up and for that I know I have to continue to work hard," said Andrew.

Sherri-Ann Spencer - 11, Mt. Joseph Prep., Manchester

THE FORMULA that says girls are made of sugar and spice will have to be rewritten to include lots of smart and good manners if 11-year-old Sherri-Ann Spencer is thrown in the mix.

Capturing The Gleaner's Children Own National Spelling Bee Championship Trophy of Manchester for 1999, Sherri-Ann, a student of Mount St. Joseph Prep School, her artistic usage of the English Language signals her appropriateness as an ambassador for her classmates and school.

No stranger to competition, Sherri-Ann finished third in her first try to capture the prestigious trophy in 1998.

The daughter of Christine and Edward, she unhesitatingly declares her goal to become a paediatrician, while nurturing her hobbies, seeking out unusual things and bird watching. She, however, cautions that her career goal is subject to change for she also loves acting and zoology. Asked how winning the top prize affected her, "not at all", she quipped, "I think my mommy and daddy were more excited than I was, for mommy called everybody after I won with the news.

Others sharing in Sherri-Ann's triumph include her coach Dr. Clive Lai, Principal Sister Maureen and teacher Mrs. Norma South and her sisters 9-year-old Stephanie and 10-year-old Samantha. Principal Sister Maureen who finds it hard to shield her elation said she feels very good about Sherri-Ann's achievement. These sentiments were also shared by her teacher who added that Sherri-Ann's general deportment has served to motivate the other students in her class.

Kaydeen Morris - 11Wakefield Primary, Trelawny

WITH ONE historic achievement already accomplished Kaydeen Morris of Wakefield Primary School hopes to make another at the National Spelling Bee finals.

The 11-year-old did her parish, school and community proud when she emerged Parish Champion last year and is determined to capture the coveted prize of national champion.

"I feel proud of myself. I hope to do my best at the finals, to do my school and community proud and perform at a high standard in order to motivate others at my school to do their best also," said Kaydeen.

She has no doubt she is ready to take the top prize even with three Glen Archer trained students to contend with.

"I know I can win at the finals. I believe in myself and I have been training very hard," she said.

Her teacher Miss Marcia Roberts one of her two coaches is also full of confidence.

"Look out we are coming in to win, we are going to create an upset," Miss Roberts said.

She finds no threat in the stiff competition and claims that "the hotter the battle the sweeter the victory," will be.

She says winning is possible because of the kind of child Kaydeen is; super confident and highly motivated.

"Kaydeen is wonderful. She is self motivated, highly disciplined and well behaved and she is receiving quality training," Miss Roberts said.

Kaydeen trains three hours per day as Mrs. Roberts said they want her to have time to prepare for the GSAT Placement Test.

However, she says Kaydeen's parents help out at home and are very supportive of their daughter.

"They are 100 per cent behind me," Kaydeen said when asked about her parents.

As Miss Roberts put it, "It is our time now." Confident as ever that Kaydeen will emerge national champion.

Sherieka Richards -11, White Hall Primary, St Thomas

THEY HAVE no computer, no library, no radio, no television, not even a tape recorder, just a few books here and there, yet the students and teachers of White Hall Primary have dominated the St. Thomas Spelling "B" finals. The school is located some 15km North of Morant Bay via Seaforth through winding Hillside. Perched on a hill this small school of just under 300 students with classes separated by chalkboard have made the community proud.

This year the St. Thomas champion Sherieka Richards only 11- years-old is from White Hall, last year 10 year old Henroy McPherson also of White Hall Primary represented St. Thomas in the final. Added to their performance is the fact that last year their grade 2 representative only 8 years old Kemar Johnson then finished 13 out of 34 in the parish finals.

With compliment of seven teachers and two youth service workers principal Herma McPherson is proud of her champions. "This is my community, I feel a great sense of achievement when the students do well." "White Hall is believed by many to be a place from where nothing good can come, but that's not true, once you work hard you will achieve, I feel proud that we can be champions," the principal said.

But how do they manage to be successful with students, many barefooted and seem smaller than their age? Speaking with the spelling coaches Kevin Clough and Icyline Taylor they say they have established a spelling club since 1998, aimed at generating interest in spelling. The coaches say it is sometimes difficult to maintain interest in the students especially at the Grade 6 level as the child seem pressure with the GSAT examination. "Some of our students enter from Grade 2, they train on a regular basis, and we also intend to maximise the training on a daily basis," the teachers say. "We train in the mornings and on Saturdays, we have a small spelling club of 13, and they are doing well," they added.

Principal Mr. McPherson attributes the school success to hard and dedicated work by the teachers and students as well as co-operative staff.