TEN-YEAR-OLD JHANEEL Lock-hart of Brandford Preparatory School, Portland, won the parish finals of the Gleaner's Children's Own-sponsored annual Spelling Bee competition when she spelt the word M-A-M-M-O-T-H at the Anglican Church Hall in Port Antonio, yesterday.
"We expected her to win. She is a bright student, and a very good speller," said Miss Necola Jump, principal of Bradford Preparatory.
Jhaneel won from a field of seven students, as only four of the 10 schools expected to participate were represented. Second place went to 14-year-old Vinola Moses, of Portland High School. "I'm a little disappointed," said Vinola's coach, Mrs. Sylvia Phillips.
Jhaneel was all smiles when she was announced the winner by Spell Mistress Shernett Robinson of The Gleaner. "I didn't expect to win because I was being challenged by a student from a high school," said Jhaneel. Handel Taylor, her coach, said he knew she would win. "We practise every evening; the strategy was motivation".
Jhaneel will be competing against 13 parish champions at the Nationals in February 2002. Mr. Taylor thinks Jhaneel will do very well. "I know we are going against the best of the best, we just have to spend more time practising and pray," he said.
Jhaneel will be sitting the Grade Six Achievement Test ( GSAT) in February and she would like to attend Ardenne High School. She would like to become a teacher, "I just like school," she said.
The other schools represented from the parish included: Buff Bay Seventh Day Adventist Academy and Boundbrook Preparatory.
The Portland leg of the competition was postponed as roads in the parish were rendered impassable due to the heavy rains in October and November.
