Janina Lee, winner of the 57th Catholic Archdiocesan Spelling Bee, is pictured with Dr. Alexandria Roberts-Bowe, director of Catholic education
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 1, 2024 –CatholicSchools Bahamas posted this wonderful news on Facebook today and I absolutely had to share it with readers of my Washington, D.C. – based online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
These photos were posted with the following narrative: “Congratulations to Janina Lee, the winner of the 57th Archdiocesan Spelling Bee. Janina is a student at Sts. Francis & Joseph School.”
Sean Cargill Jr., a 5th grade student of St. Cecilia’s School, placed second, and according to the Catholic Schools post, ”Janina and Sean will represent Catholic Board of Education schools at the 2024 Bahamas National Spelling Bee.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: I surely hope that this exciting news is the answer to the question I raised last week as to whether or not The Bahamas will be participating in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, which takes place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. from May 28 to May 30?
As I noted in a post on Facebook, as the person responsible for introducing the Scripps National Spelling Bee to The Bahamas in 1998 when I was editor of The Nassau Guardian, I think it would unquestionably be a national disgrace if The Bahamas does not enter a speller in the Scripps Bee. However, we are nearing the end of January, and the Ministry of Education, Technical and Vocational Training has not yet indicated whether it will sponsor the annual Bahamas National Spelling Bee (BNSB) to select a spelling champion to participate in the Scripps Bee.
HERE’S A SUGGESTION: If the Ministry of Education, Technical and Vocational Training abandons the BNSB this year, CatholicSchools Bahamas should enter its champion Janina Lee in the Scripps Bee. This is surely an altruistic undertaking that a philanthropist like Island Luck’s Sebas Bastian can be encouraged to support financially.
