Two are the champions of Bulgaria in the English Spelling Bee competition, announced the organizers from the Foundation “Corps for Education and Development – KORPluS”.
Sixth grader Anton Markov from Lyuben Karavelov Elementary School, Ruse, reached the final round of the competition. He faced fourth-grader Sava Troanski from Pazardzhik. The winner of the “little bees” up to 4th grade is Ekaterina Basheva from “Ivan Vazov” elementary school, also from Ruse. She won the final round, competing against Georgi Avramov from OU “St. St. Cyril and Methodius”, Varna.
Anton became the champion after correctly spelling the word attainment from the list of unknown words. After the victory, he shared that he studied the spelling of words in English with pleasure and persistence. He used flash cards – with words written on one side in English and on the other in Bulgarian. He shared that the secret to his success was spelling the words with his eyes closed. The champion of the “big bees” Anton Markov from Ruse is an avid programmer and participated in the national final of the Spelling Bee for the second time.
His worthy runner-up – fourth-grader Sava Troanski from OU “Prof. Ivan Batakliev” in Pazardzhik, besides his passion for English, is also a keen mathematician with more than 100 medals from mathematical competitions.
Ekaterina Basheva correctly spelled the word discipline – discipline, from the last round with unfamiliar words. She shared that she enjoys learning words and reading in English, and her role models are her older sister and brother, who are also participants in the competition. Her competitor – the third-grader Georgi Avramov showed enviable confidence with correct spelling even of the most difficult words, the organizers add.
In Bulgaria, the Spelling Bee competitions are being held for the fourteenth year, organized by the “Corps for Education and Development-CORPluS” Foundation in partnership with the “America for Bulgaria” Foundation, with the support of the US Embassy and the Ministry of Education and Science (MES).
This year, over 8,500 students from all over the country participated in the school and regional competitions, which produced 30 finalists in the “big bees” – up to 7th grade, and twenty-four up to 4th grade.
Kenneth Merten, US ambassador to Bulgaria, Nancy Schiller – president of the “America for Bulgaria” Foundation and Emily Sergeant Beasley, president of the American College in Sofia, wished the participants success in the competition and in their studies, and thanked the teachers, parents and organizers from CORPLUS for the support.
Each year, Spelling Bee participants across the country engage in side campaigns. This year’s theme was BEE Green. Thus, the organizers encourage students to take part in various initiatives related to environmental protection. The tasks were related to leading an environmentally friendly lifestyle, limiting environmentally harmful products and saving natural resources, the organizers added.
/JVL
