Two local students will try to spell "victory" for St. Albert next weekend at a regional spelling bee.
Evan Villegas and Kamila Llanes will be the only two St. Albert contestants at next week's Northern Alberta Canspell Regional Spelling Bee in Edmonton. The St. Albert students, both of whom are from the Philippines, will face down 48 of the region's top spellers in a quest for cash prizes and a shot at the national title.
The Canspell tournament is Canada's only national spelling bee, says Chris Spencer, organizer of the Edmonton bee. Run by the Postmedia Network, it aims to promote literacy among students in grades 4 to 8.
These students had to win school-level tournaments and pass a qualifying exam to get to this point, he notes.
"They are the best of the best in Alberta," he said.
A four-hour, multi-round challenge lies ahead for these students this Feb. 18 at the University of Alberta, where they will be asked to spell puzzlers such as "douane" (a customs house), "azimuth" (an angular measurement used in astrology) and "philhellenism" (a supporter of Greeks).
The winner gets $5,000 and one of 21 spots at nationals, Spencer says, which will be held in Toronto at the end of March. Contestants there will compete for up to $15,000 in prizes and a spot in the international Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
"It does get stressful for the kids," Spencer says.
Meet the contestants
Villegas, a Grade 8 student at Richard S. Fowler, speaks unaccented English despite having been in Canada for a mere 10 months.
His English was pretty bad when he first came here, he says. "I didn't know what words to say when people asked me questions," he says, and he often had to ask adults to translate for him. But constant practice and lessons at school have helped him improve. "I just imitated how my classmates said words," he said.
Villegas says he decided to enter his school's spelling bee for the experience, noting he had already taken part in several of them during English classes in the Philippines.
"I'm asking my brother to quiz me on the words," he said.
The toughest word he's mastered so far is "infinitesimal."
Villegas says he doesn't expect to win at regionals, as his homework makes it tough to find time to review the contest's 17-page study guide.
"I don't expect myself to win. I just expect to do my best," he said.
He hopes to be a nurse or English teacher in the future, and is currently working on his third language – Japanese.
Llanes is a mature Grade 7 honours student at V.J. Maloney, says Imelda Borodawka, her language arts instructor and organizer of that school's Canspell event.
"She works hard and studies to spell the words correctly," Borodawka said.
Llanes beat out about 240 other students to get to regionals, she says.
An avid reader of mysteries, romance and Japanese manga, Llanes says this is her first time participating in a spelling bee.
"I never really planned on actually getting in," she said.
Llanes says she was already fluent in English when she arrived in Canada from the Philippines four years ago, and that her friends frequently turn to her for grammatical advice. She's been practicing daily with her dad in preparation for next week.
Llanes hopes to place in the top 10 at regionals but knows she'll face some stiff competition.
"I'm a little bit scared, but excited at the same time," said the aspiring fashion designer.
The Edmonton spelling bee starts at 1 p.m. at the Myer Horowitz Theatre. Call Spencer at 780-429-5323 for details.
