By OSWALD T.BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 28, 2021 – The Washington Informer posted the above promotion for the 2022 D.C. City-Wide Spelling on Facebook with the following narrative:
“If you are a parent or teacher of a 3rd – 8thh grader in A DC school or home-school, encourage them to participate in this year’s Washington Informer 40th Annual Spelling Bee. He or she just might be our city-wide winner and head to the National Scripps Spelling Bee in May 2002.”
I decided to share it in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE for the benefit of the Bahamas National Spelling Bee Committee at the Ministry of Education to show the level of planning that the Washington Informer has undertaken in preparing for the 2022 Scripps National Spelling.
I was News Editor of this award-winning Black-owned newspaper for more than 12 years when I previously lived in Washington, D.C. for 21 years, and I attended my fist Scripps National Spelling in 1983. I was so impressed that I promised myself that I would introduce the Scripps National Spelling Bee to The Bahamas whenever I returned to the country of my birth, which I did when I was Editor of The Nassau Guardian in 1998.
The Bahamas’ participant in the 2021 Scripps Spelling Bee, Roy Seligman, made all Bahamians extremely proud by finishing sixth overall. He is still eligible to compete in the 2022 Scripps Bee, if he successfully defends his national title. I would surely like to see him get another chance at winning the overall title. However, now is the time for the Ministry of Education to start planning for the 2022 Bahamas National Spelling Bee.
On second thought, though, I think the Ministry should wait until after the September 16 general election and allow Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader Philip “Brave” Davis, the new Prime Minister, to begin the “urgent task” of restoring good governance to The Bahamas.
The restoration process will most definitely include the appointment of a more progressive Minister of Education, whom I am certain shall be a strong supporter of the Bahamas National Spelling Bee.
I have a good idea who that person will be, but incoming Prime Minister Davis will have such an impressive list of winning PLP candidates to choose from that I shall not speculate.
