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Rota student bags spelling bee trophy
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Posted on Mar 21 2005
Two of the top four finishers in the 2005 Scripps Howard Spelling Bee that was held on Guam Sunday are from the Northern Marianas, with Dheena Elayda of Rota’s Eskuelan San Francisco de Borja eventually emerging as champion.
The fourth place finisher, also from the CNMI, was Nathan Taitano, a seventh grader at the Saipan International School.
Elayda spelled the word “pierrotage” correctly to win the spelling bee and the right to represent the CNMI and Guam in the 2005 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C, on June 1-2.
Others who made it to the top three after eight rounds of competition were finalists Jamie Dela Cruz of William C. McCool Elementary/Middle School and Sarah Munn of Maris Stella School in Palau.
The event was held at the Marianas Ballroom at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, with Jon Anderson as the pronouncer.
The three dueled it out by spelling words like “pentateuchal,” “chatelaine,” “myxomatosis,” and “charcuterie.”
Elayda copped the championship when she correctly spelled “pierrotage,” a type of limestone
As regional champion, Elayda won $500 cash from Pacific Daily News, the main sponsor; a $100 savings bond from Jay Sugarman, and travel and accommodations from Continental Airlines and the Rotary Club of Guam for the trip to Washington D.C.
