HE SAT at the back of the church hall the entire time. Judging by the stripes
on his shoulder, I thought that he was a policeman doing his civic duty and
watching the Trelawny parish finals of the Spelling Bee out of curiosity.
But when Alyssa Powell won that parish final, one of the first persons she ran to was that same man; her father. It turns out Rohan Powell is a fireman, not a cop, at the Falmouth Fire Station and has been for five years.
"She was interested in the spelling from grade four, (she is now in grade five). I encouraged her even though the teacher said she was too young for that year so she took older children." That support and good coaching no doubt helped her to win a year later.
Being a fireman is demanding work but that does not hamper him being a father to both Alyssa and her older brother, who is in first form at William Knibb High. So as he sat at the back of that church hall, what went through his mind?
"Well, I had spoken to her in the morning. She assured me that she was confident. I just told her to give it her best shot and that she had as good a chance as any of the other entrants." Prophetic words as she turned out to be the best of the lot.
So with the national finals set for early February, will he be at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, New Kingston. "I plan to go," he affirms. We hope he'll be there.
- Daviot Kelly
TRELAWNY
Change of coach no problem for Alyssa
THE RAIN outside made things a little chilly inside the William Knibb church hall on November 19. But a group of spellers had to warm up quickly to participate in the Trelawny parish finals of the Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee.
After it was over, the spelling, not the rain, Alyssa Powell was crowned champion. She is one of the youngest champions in this year's group of champions. Alyssa is only 10 and is in grade five. So she can go back for another year, if she wants to.
She is a student of Granville All-Age in Trelawny. With the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) still a year away she can focus completely on the Spelling Bee when she and the 13 other parish finalists make the trip to Kingston.
"I would say I'm a little nervous," she revealed when The Gleaner spoke to her. But she still plans to do her best. She has had to change coaches since she won the parish title but she does not think that will be a problem.
So what are her feelings about the national finals? "Well, I am definitely looking forward to it," she said. It will not be her first trip into Kingston but the occasion is definitely bigger. Apart from her spelling, Alyssa likes to sing and dance. Oh, by the way, she wants to be a teacher because she really likes the profession.
Wonder if she'll coach a few champions?
ST JAMES
Biggest challenge to Kgn's domination
Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
WHETHER IT was Corinaldi Avenue Primary in the early days or Howard Cooke Primary in later years, the schools of Montego Bay have always represented the parish of St. James at the national finals well.
These schools boast perennial top seven finishers including Kimberley Roper who finished second in 2003. Schools from Montego Bay are considered to be the biggest challenges to the domination of Kingston and St. Andrew. What makes these schools so good?
At Catherine Hall Primary, for whom Mikhail McLeod is current champion, her coach Mrs. Cynthia Burke thinks it is inborn. "I can say for our school that the children spell naturally so half the work is already done. When we take them to the parish finals, they perform well." Mrs. Burke should be equally proud as Mikhail is her first parish champion in just three years of coaching spelling.
"I am excited about the National Finals," she stated, sounding as excited as her pupil. "Mikhail is a very confident and enthusiastic child and I think she will do well," she went on to say.
With Kimberley's finish still talked about, (she was there to see Mikhail lift the trophy), the hopes of St. James ride on a 12-year-old from Catherine Hall Primary.
Mikhail is full of confidence
WE HEARD that Mikhail McLeod was a confident girl but we wanted to make sure.
"Yes, you could say that," she said but with a slight sound of modesty. The Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee champion for St. James prevailed on a hot, tension-filled afternoon in November. But she knows that it will be even harder to spell in front of the audience at the Hilton Kingston Hotel than it was at the Mt. Alvernia High School.
"With the GSAT lessons, the training is stressing but I think I can handle it well enough," she stated. She describes herself as an energetic person who loves to do "a lot of running around." She also likes to swim, sing and dance. Energetic indeed! She has not yet decided on a career path so only time will tell.
She reckons that her mother is her role model as she feels she is, among other things, a very determined person. She advises that even though things can get very stressful, people should stick to it and hang in there for the long run.
- Daviot kelly
