By: Wilson Burgos Aroca, Coordinator of Bilingualism
This year, ASPAEN Gimnasio La Fragua held the XIII Spelling Bee Contest on October 20th and 21st. The event took place at Chicalá Hotel with the participation of more than seventy private and public schools from Neiva and Huila.
Contestants had a great challenge when spelling the words from the contest. However, the advanced spelling level was widely observed from the students. Participants were divided into two categories:
Category A: contestants from third to sixth grade.
Category B: contestants from seventh to eleventh grade.
Category A spellers learnt 150 words for the contest. On the other hand, category B students had 200 words. The contest was carried out in two modalities: (1) the judge pronounced the word and the contestant spelled it, and (2) the judge spelled the word and students pronounced it.
After a high competition, the judge selected six winners: three from category A and three from category B. These were the winners:
Category A
Champion: Isabella García Vargas – ASPAEN Gimnasio Yumaná.
Second place: Sergio Andrés Montenegro – Colegio Empresarial de los Andes.
Third place: Nicolás Rodríguez García – Gimnasio Los Robles.
Category B
Champion:Julián Esteban Pérez Sotelo – Colegio San Juan de Laboyos, Pitalito.
Second place: Tania Alexandra López – Institución Educativa Santa Librada.
Third place: María Camila Suárez Vargas – ASPAEN Gimnasio Yumaná.
Best contestant from a public school (category B)
Winner: Tania Alexandra López – Institución Educativa Santa Librada.
ASPAEN Gimnasio La Fragua gave the following prices:
Category A:
Champion: A laptop, a trophy, a scholarship to study English and a scholar package.
Second place: A trophy and a scholarship to study English and a scholar package.
Third place: a trophy and a scholar package.
Category B:
Champion: A laptop, a trophy, a scholarship to study English and a scholar package.
Second place: A trophy and a scholarship to study English and a scholar package.
Third place: a trophy and a scholar package.
ASPAEN Gimnasio La Fragua 2011 Spelling Bee organizers also gave a laptop to the student from a public school who got further in the contest in category B.
We hope that all interested spellers take part into in the contest next year! You can contact M.A. Wilson Burgos at bilinguismo@lafragua.edu for further information.
English teacher Jesús Hermosa; Isabella García Vargas, winner of category A; Sergio Andrés Montenegro, second place; Nicolás Rodríguez García, third place; Fitzroy Kennedy, judge of the contest; and Wilson Burgos Aroca, Coordinator of Bilingualism.
English teacher Jesús Hermosa; Julián Esteban Pérez Sotelo, winner of Category B; Tania Alexandra López, second place and best contestant from a public school; Fitzroy Kennedy, judge of the contest; María Camila Suárez Vargas, third place; and Wilson Burgos Aroca, Coordinator of Bilingualism.
More pictures: www.lafragua.edu.co
