On Friday, October 21, 2022, final-year students in the Communication and Multimedia (CMD) program, hosted a thrilling Spelling Bee competition for secondary school students in the Yola community. The competition was organized as part of a community service project that engages students in civil duties and giving back to the immediate community which has always been at the core of the education offered at the American University of Nigeria.
Ms. Eunice John, a CMD major, hosted the competition, while Mr. Dahlina Fwa and Ms. Aisha Jada sat on the panel of judges.
The high-stakes oral competition was held at the AUN Student Activity Hub and involved students from Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Yola, Lamido-Sanda Government Secondary School, and Government Day Junior Secondary School (GDSS), Wuro-Hausa.
Each school had three student representatives and the competition spanned three rounds. GDSS Wuro-Hausa was eliminated at the end of round one, leaving GGSS Yola and Lamido-Sanda locking horns in the second round. A tie-breaking third round ensued, keeping the audience in suspense.
At the end of the stiff contest, Lamido-Sanda students emerged winners of the Spelling Bee and the victorious participants received a cash prize of ten thousand naira each. The cash prize will pay one school term tuition fee for the winners.
Mr. Dahlina Fwa said the competition aims to improve pupils' spelling capacity and vocabulary and help them learn new concepts that will boost learning experience and literacy. He also expressed delight at the student's high level of performance. He addressed the students after the competition:
"You are all winners here today because you have challenged the stereotypes trailing public school education in the country with the performances you all put up here today. You have potential and I urge you to study hard and build on it."
Reported by Tina Bitrus