Oshane, Jody-Ann, Lawre book spots in national spelling finals
published: Friday | November 4, 2005

LEFT: Jody-Ann Allen displays the St. Elizabeth parish champion trophy, after she won it on October 28, at the Invercauld Great House Conference Hall in Black River. CENTER: Oshane Williams of Sanguinetti Primary in Clarendon is the two-time parish champion, after his victory on Monday, October 31, in the parish final at the St. Gabriel's Church Hall in May Pen. RIGHT: Lawre Johnson of Bishop Gibson High School in Manchester retained her title as parish champion on October 28, at the Mandeville Parish Church Hall. - PHOTOS BY RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

LOST IN the heavy rains and various protests over the last two weeks, two spellers were quietly making their way back to the National Finals of The Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee Competition.

Clarendon's Oshane Williams from Sanguinetti Primary and Manchester's Lawre Johnson, representing Bishop Gibson High, repeated as parish finalists recently. Oshane, who was the first child to win for Sanguinetti, remains so, as he bettered classmate Charnell Newell.

"I started feeling a little tired and nervous before the last break," he admitted. Lawre, who represented Mandeville Primary and Junior High last year, came back to retain her title. Lawre, who finished third in the National Finals, is confident she will do well again.

Meanwhile, in St. Elizabeth, Jody-Ann Allen of Glen Stuart Primary triumphed over more experienced spellers to record her school's fourth straight victory. Among her challengers were Evan Brown, who won the parish title in 2003, and her schoolmate Jeffrey Dacre, last year's Champion Boy.

"I was confident I would win because I worked hard and I've even gone into the dictionary," she said.