After four full rounds and an intense, extended tie-breaker, David Sanchez Williams, 11, correctly spelled ‘expungable’ to win the Secondary School Spelling Bee on Thursday, 27 Nov.
He received a standing ovation and rousing applause from parents, teachers, and students at the John Gray High School Performance Hall, after facing off against strong contender, Cayman International School’s Sanjana Sriram, in a gruelling ping-pong exchange of 18 words, making for a very exciting finish at the Lions Club of Grand Cayman’s annual competition.
He emerged triumphant against a starting field of 34 students from 12 secondary schools across Cayman at the 42nd running of the annual event.
“I was shocked,” Sanchez Williams, who attends John Gray, told the Cayman Compass after his win, a third attempt at winning the national spelling bee crown.
Though outwardly calm, standing with hands on his hips, as he seemed to attack every word with confidence, Sanchez Williams said he was “nervous” throughout the competition.
“I wasn’t ready for this kind of pressure on me for winning first place,” he said.
His grandmother, who was there to cheer him on, told the Compass, “I’m happy for him because he practised hard. I drilled him hard.”
For anyone who is interested in participating in the competition, Sanchez Williams said, “trust in God”.
Sriram took second place, with a three-way tie for third between Richard Scott, of Layman E. Scott Sr. High School, Joseph Lawlor of First Baptist Christian School, and Zoey Ebanks of John Gray.
Kimberly Kirkconnell, spelling bee organiser and Department of Education Services senior customer service manager, said in a press release on the competition, “As always, I was impressed by the calibre of our spellers and the bravery of our students to step up on that stage and spell words that many adults, including myself, couldn’t spell. Every student should be proud of themselves for their performance today.”
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