By Our Correspondent
Ebelechukwu International Group of Schools, Nkpor, Anambra State, on Monday, August 10, rolled out drums to celebrate her students who won laurels at the 17th edition of the Spelling Leaders Competition held in Lagos.
Ebelechukwu International Group of Schools booked a space at the competition organized by Spell Africa International, after conquering other schools in Anambra earlier in May.
But at the grand finale of the competition held on Monday, August 1, one of the representatives of Ebelechukwu International Group of Schools, Miss Chimamanda Ekeigwe, emerged Second Runner-up at the Secondary School Category, a victory that placed the school at the 3rd position among one hundred and ninety-one (191) participating schools from across Nigeria.
Also, another student of the school, little Miss Blessing David, came 7th at the Primary School Category of the spelling competition, after putting up a good fight among primary pupils from the 191 participating schools.
Speaking during the reception organized at the Akuzor Campus of the school in Nkpor, Idemili North local government area, to celebrate the achievements, Director of the school, Mr. Ebelechukwu Timothy Chukwukelu, hailed the students for putting up a good fight even at their very first outing in the competition.
He said, “This trophy is more than a piece of metal. It is a symbol of hard work, discipline, preparation, determination and excellence. Our students have demonstrated that with the right preparation, confidence and commitment, our children can compete and excel at the highest level.
“To all our pupils and students, let this trophy inspire you. Do not look at it merely as an achievement of those who won it; see it as an invitation for you to aspire to greater heights.
“At Ebelechukwu Schools, our motto is “Inspired to Aspire,” and our mission is to discover and develop the potential in every child. This achievement is a beautiful demonstration of that vision. One trophy must lead to another achievement, one success must inspire another, and one generation of winners must prepare the next.”
He also appreciated the teachers and coaches, saying that efforts and performances of the students have demonstrated that quality teachers produce quality results; adding that their dedications and countless hours invested in preparing the students brought about the success.
Also speaking, the team coach, Miss Chika Omerede, highlighted the difficulties encountered by the school team, which includes toiling night and day to meet up with enormous tasks involved in the Spelling-B coaching.
She said, however that commitment and dedication put in by the team resulted in the height the school attained at their first attempt at the competition.
The team leader, Mr. Rowland Nwekeson, also praised the resilience of his students that ultimately led to their success in the competition.
“We’re not suprised with our results because we worked hard,” he said. “But this success is a wake-up call to do more, because we have Africa to conquer; and we also have the world to face. This is the begging of the journey,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the students delegation, Chimamanda Ekeigwe recounted the hurdles the team encountered at the competition as first time competitors, and further expressed joy that the team was able to win laurels. She also expressed optimism that the team and the school will surpass the present achievement in future competitions.
In the spirit of the celebration, the school director announced scholarship award for the ten students that participated in the competition. The scholarship, according to him, covers their tuition and school uniform. He also announced cash award for the students’ coaches – Mr. Okekeson and Miss Omerede.
