BNSB CHAMPION AARAV BALANI JUST MISSES MAKING IT TO THE SEMIFINALS
By OSWALD T. BROWN
adjacent , D.C., May 29, 2024 – Both spellers representing The Bahamas have been eliminated from the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee currently being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbour, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.
Representing The Bahamas are Aarav Balani, a 12-year-old 7th grade student at Lyford Cay International School, and Eckward Ferguson, a 12-year-old 8th grade student at Central Eleuthera High School.
In Round One on Tuesday, Aarav correctly spelt the word “ORYX” and Eckward correctly spelt the word “POUSTO.” Both correctly defined their Round 2 vocabulary word and advanced to Round 3, but while Aarav advanced to Round 4 on Wednesday morning by correctly spelling the word “CHURRASCO”, Eckward was eliminated when he incorrectly spelt the “FOSSETTE”. He spelt the word as “FAUCET.”
In Round 4, Aarav advanced to Round 5 by correctly spelling the word “CORNIN”, but he was eliminated in Round 5, a vocabulary definition round, for a wrong response to: “Something described as tandem.” Aarav’s reponse was, “Has no logical order or arrangement”, while the correct response was, “Consists of two elements arranged one behind the other.”
This strongly suggests that Aarav just barely missed making it to the semifinals.
In any case, this certainly has been a wonderful educational experience for both Aarav and Eckward.
As the person who introduced the Scripps National Spelling Bee to The Bahamas’ educational system in 1998 when I was Editor of The Nassau Guardian, over the years I have repeatedly urged the powers that be at The Bahamas Ministry of Education to introduced Spelling Bee Clubs in our schools – as part of the curricula or as an afterschool – but my exhortations have been totally ignored.
If only half of the commitment that is made to promoting sports was made to establishing Spelling Bee Clubs in our schools, the success of Bahamian spellers in future Scripps National Spelling Bees will be a perennial source of pride for Bahamians.
