Cherice Dunbar smiles after correctly spelling her final word to become champion for the parish of Portland.
IT ONLY took Cherice Dunbar an hour and a half to take the crown as champion of Portland but the National Finals will definitely last longer.
"I'm not afraid to spell in front of crowds," says Cherice.
Okay, so we can forget about her suffering from nerves. So with the confidence thing out the way, she can focus on the words fully. She is doing just that, studying up to minutes to six in the evening with coach Handel Taylor.
The 10-year-old from By-brook, (but she now lives in Buff Bay), likes to read and play both indoor and outdoor games. The youngest of three girls, she cites her mom as her role model and it is easy to see why; she gets her confidence from her.
"She is not afraid of anything and she has a really good teacher," she explained. No wonder Cherice wants to become a teacher as well.
She is young enough to try for a repeat of the parish championship when the parish finals start again in November. She is not sure if she wants to, but she is sure that the Spelling Bee has taught her to manage her time properly and how to work with a team. She is also confident about attending Ardenne High after GSAT. That seems a little far, don't you think?
"I would stay with a relative," her voice sounding like she had it all planned out. There's that confidence again.
