GETTING TO KNOW THE TOP SPELLERS

The Champion of 'The Daily Star Spelling Bee' Season 3 was announced at a spectacular grand finale, held at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid was present as the chief guest and among other respectable guests present were: Russell T Ahmed, CEO, Champs21.com, Iqbal Ahmed Menon, Category Manager, GSK Consumer Health Care; Nusrat Jahan, Marketing Manager, GSK Consumer Health Care; Monirul Islam, Head of Communication, MetLife Alico; Ruhi M. Ahmed, Lead CSR, PR at Communication, BSRM; Shykh Seraj, Director & Head of News, Channel i and Mahfuz Anam, Publisher and Editor, The Daily Star.
The six finalists -- Haseen Hasnain, Ayesha Mehjuba Sinha, Wasique Hasan, Argho Roy, Naiyareen Fareeza Mayeen and Saif Rahman -- battled it out in the Spell It, Spell Hive and Spell Buzz rounds. In the award giving ceremony, amidst confetti and applause, Wasique was crowned the Champion, Naiyareen was named the 1st runner-up, and Saif, the 2nd runner-up.

Wasique Hasan, student of class 10, Marie Curie School, Dhaka
Aim and preparation: My goal was to learn to spell as many new words as possible. I gave a lot of effort to remember all their meanings as well, so I was often seen buried in a dictionary. I used several word lists as well, which I found online. Every time I read a book I found myself focusing on the spellings rather than what the story was!
This was my third time in Spelling Bee, and my last try; after class 10, I am no longer eligible to participate. So there was a lot riding on this and I just wanted to impress my parents. I aimed for the championship, and third time was the charm!

Education policy money: About my higher education I'm still on the road to deciding what I will be studying, but it will probably be Engineering. I plan to use the education money for higher studies.

Thoughts about Spelling Bee: When I realized during Spell Buzz that I had scored higher than the other finalists I simply couldn't believe it. When it was final and they announced my name as the champion, it was the most exciting moment of my life.  Apart from all the knowledge it has given me, and the new people I have met I also love Spelling bee because it gives us, ordinary students, a chance to be something more, something special. From Spell It, Spell buzz, Spell Hive and Spell Ring I don't really have a favourite round, each can get equally difficult at times. Though I do wish there was a little more time for Spell It, I had to rush my spelling every time.

Advice for next season's contestants: You need to be very involved in your preparation, be curious to learn more and be very confident. Most important of all is to have hope, if you get nervous, game over.

Words from Wasique's mother, Nasima Akhter: He is a quiet boy and a good student but likes his games a little too much. My dream for him is to be a good human being. He can follow any career path he likes, as long he is a good person. Younger of two siblings, Wasique is clever enough to always get the bigger share of chocolates, but I believe it's due to having a loving sister.

Naiyareen Fareeza Mayeen, student of class 9, Sunbeams School, Dhaka
Aim and preparation: Last year I won a Golden Ticket from school which got me into the Divisional Rounds but this year I failed to win that. So I decided to try online, mostly to prove myself. Playing the Online Round I got through to the Divisionals. I wasn't really planning to continue, as I didn't have a lot of free time but my friends insisted. They urged me to give it a try as there was nothing to lose, and so I did.
I hadn't prepared much till the Quarter Finals, but after this I started practicing a lot. My dad helped me by printing out tons of word lists. My mother helped me immensely by making Spell Rings for me and I got really good at them. I also watched previous Spelling Bee episodes and attempted the rounds as I watched, especially Spell Hive. I remember just before the finale I was having a hard time cracking the hives, and I freaked out. I felt totally discouraged but in the end it all worked great.

Thoughts about Spelling Bee: I was surprised to get through to the preliminary rounds and then through to the Quarter Finals, as I didn't really expect it. But I was really ecstatic when I did well in the Semi Finals and landed myself a spot in the Grand Finale. I couldn't stop talking about it at school and my friends kept on encouraging me. On the day of the finale I wasn't exactly nervous as all I could think was 'I just want to get this over with.'
My favourite part was the Quarter Finals and favourite round has to be Spell Ring. I made a few new friends here, and it has really helped me gain self-confidence and deal with stage fright.

Education policy money: The education money I have won will be used for my upcoming O Levels and further studies. My ambition is to become a successful Genetic Engineer.

Advice for next season's contestants: Always believe in yourself. Don't think about what will happen and just focus on the game.

Words from Naiyareen's parents, Abul Fazal Mohd. Mayeen & Dr. Teenat Farzeen: We are so proud of her. She is a very gracious child. She is responsible for her grades and doesn't need private tuition. Naiyareen has always been the top student in her class. Now she is learning French and to play the piano.

Saif Rahman, student of class 10, Regent College, Dhaka
Aim and preparation: My aim this season, partially, just like everyone else's, was of course the trophy and the title of the champion, but more importantly, I'd like to say that doing the best I possibly could, was my goal. Mainly, I just wanted to have fun, because in the end, it is all a game. For preparation, I carried on from last year and just added bits and pieces by watching the new season and looking at new words.

Thoughts about Spelling Bee: I have met a lot of people at Spelling Bee and many of them have become close friends. It helped expand my vocabulary and made me more confident. It also helped me learn how to handle stressful situations better.

My favourite round was Spell Buzz, I had pretty decent luck with it this year. It was also the most challenging round in my opinion. My favourite segment was the Semi Finals because of that nail-biting finish.
Education policy money: As for my higher education, I'm not entirely sure. I plan on seeing what's best for my field, which is software design or engineering and the education policy money will go towards my university fees when the time comes for that.

Advice for next season's participants: All I have to say is that just be calm, think of the word's origin and its application. Don't let the stress get to you.

Words from Saif's mother, Sharmin Rahman: Saif is an intelligent boy but he doesn't give enough effort. He wants to be a software engineer and I always pray that he achieves all his goals. His sister, who lives abroad, watches every episode of Spelling Bee.