Naa Koshie Manyo-Plange wins National Spelling Bee
Eleven-year old Naa Koshie Manyo-Plange of the Roman Ridge School in Accra beat stiff competition to win the 2021 edition of the National Spelling Bee competition after 15 rounds of spelling contest.
She dismissed stiff competition from Susan Grace Azu of Anchelle International School in Takoradi, who eventually placed second while Gavriel Asamoah of the Springforth Community Schools finished third, at the end of the contest.
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The championship word with which Naa Manyo-Plange won was “AMAXOPHOBIA,” the fear of being in, or riding in a vehicle.
Competition
The grand finale was held behind-closed-doors last Saturday, with only spellers, parents, and guardians in attendance adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols.
It witnessed a high attrition rate that started with 60 contestants, who were eliminated at every stage as the competition progressed until after the 10th round, when the remaining contestants were Azu, Asamoah and Naa Manyo-Plange.
However, the other two could not spell correctly when they had the chance, thereby handing the victory to the 11-year-old who spelt the word with confidence.
Prizes
Aside from the bragging rights for emerging winner, Naa Manyo-Plange takes away a gold medal; GH¢10,000; a fully installed decoder from DSTV Ghana; a year’s supply of Indomie Ghana; GH¢500 worth of fuel from Goil and Frankie’s Restaurant meals for a year. Additionally, Naa Manyo-Plange will represent Ghana at the international level.
For being the first runner-up, Susan Grace Azu received a silver medal, a trip sponsored by Kenya Airways, GH¢3,000 cash prize, fully installed HD Zapper decoder from DSTV and GH¢300 fuel vouchers from Goil Company Limited.
Gavriel Asamoah, who emerged the second runner-up in the competition, received a bronze medal, a trip sponsored by Kenya Airways, GH¢2,000, fully installed HD Zapper decoder from DSTV as well as a GH¢200 fuel vouchers sponsored by Goil Company Limited.
For producing winners of the contest, schools of the three champions will each receive a certificate of recognition and a GH¢1,000 fuel voucher.
Speaking to the host of the 2021 Spelling Bee finals after her win, Naa Manyo-Plange expressed her excitement to have won the competition, adding that she was glad her hard work in preparing for the competition had paid off.
Background
The Spelling Bee, a national spelling competition, which began 14 years ago, has had a substantial impact on the education of children in primary schools across the country.
The Champions of the Spelling Bee, over the years, have been the only ones on the African continent accorded with the honour of participating in the internationally acclaimed contest, Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The Spelling Bee is presented by Indomie and supported by DSTV, US Embassy, Accra, Citi TV, Citi FM, Rufus Green Parks, Goil, Ashesi University, Kenya Airways, Frankies, the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation, and the Links Inc.