HCA Spelling Bee
February 25, 2010: Salmonella, begonia, susceptible and gregarious were just a few of the many words the fifth through eighth grade spelling bee contestants heard on Thursday afternoon, as HCA looked for a champion speller. Beginning with twenty seven students and working down to one was quite a challenge, as it took ten rounds to find a winner. The spelling bee participants included two representative from each class in fifth through eighth grade at Harvest. The rest of the students from the classes looked on as Miss French would give out the words to spell. Students could ask for a definition, for the word to be used in a sentence, for the word to repeated, and even for the etymology of the word before having to spell their given word. Fifteen students didn’t make it past the first two rounds, but it took eight more rounds to get down to two students. Finally, Maria Borja, a sixth grader, and Riae Ahn, a seventh grader were the last two remaining. Eventually, Riae outlasted Maria for the spelling bee victory. Riae will have the opportunity to compete in the island wide competition, representing Harvest, for the opportunity to go to the States, to represent Guam. The Island wide Spelling Bee will be held on March 13, 2010, at the Marriott Hotel. Congratulations, Riae!