A tearful Regina Bish, Spelling Bee parish final winner for St. Catherine, is being congratulated by her mother Janise Manning after her victory yesterday at The Gleaner Company's North Street office, downtown Kingston. - RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
AFTER TWO years of watching the other spellers rejoice and receive the accolades, Regina Bish of Kensington Primary finally triumphed in the St. Catherine Parish Final of The Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee yesterday.
Last year, she finished second to Adrian Flanigan and in 2003 to Cornel Grey, both of Portmore Missionary Prep. This time, she faced another Portmore Missionary speller in Kerry-Ann McLeary, sister of former national champion Trudy McLeary. But, unlike before, her tears at the end were for joy, not sorrow.
"I thought I could win this time. I wasn't nervous at all; I was shaking because it's cold in here," she laughed about The Gleaner's Sports Club.
Regina's win is the first for Kensington Primary and ends Portmore Missionary's six-year win streak.
The top five was completed by Sade Dunbar of Spanish Town Primary in third; Champion Boy Travis Reid of McCauley Primary in fourth, and Quewayne Findlayson of Greater Portmore Primary in fifth. Special mention must be made of nine-year-old Jordi Dunbar, Sade's brother, who finished sixth, and little Toni-Ann Bravo of St. Catherine Primary in seventh.
Lunch was again catered by Tastee and snacks and drinks provided by Bigga. So 13 parish champions have spelled their way to the top. Only one remains - St. James - which has its spelldown today at the Burchell Baptist Church Hall in Montego Bay.
