The banquet for the parish spelling champions was marked by praise from Mr William Ellwood, who stood in for the Minister of Education. He commended the fortunate young generation, highlighting their blessings. This gathering was a component of the all-island Spelling Bee conducted by the Children’s Own Newspaper, an initiative of the Gleaner Company Ltd. Remarkably, this year's event embraced the representation of the Cayman Islands, symbolising an expanding reach.

Published August 11, 1964

Jamaica: Ellwood tells Spelling Bee Parish Champions 

"No country has as great a potential as its youth"

“To be young in this age is a piece of good fortune you have been blessed with," Mr William Ellwood, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, told the Children’s Own Newspaper Parish Spelling Champions last night.

Mr Ellwood, representing the Minister of Education, was speaking at the banquet for the parish champions and their teachers at the Myrtle Bank Hotel. The banquet is a part of the all-island Spelling Bee conducted by the Children’s Own Newspaper published by the Gleaner Company Ltd.

For the first time this year, there were fifteen instead of fourteen champions as the competition was extended to include the Cayman Islands, represented by 13-year-old Gary Ebanks of Georgetown Senior School, Grand Cayman. He was accompanied by his teacher, Mr H.F. Burgher.

Mr Ellwood, after apologising for the absence of the Minister of Education, said that he was grateful to the Gleaner Company for demonstrating in so practical a way how a great contribution could be made for the benefit of the country. The Children’s Own newspaper was certainly making a good investment in the youth of the country he said.

‘Proud record’

It was a proud record, he commented, that two schools - Unity in Trelawny and Manchioneal in Portland - had been able to be the parish champions for each of the five years that the competition had been held. They deserved special congratulations.

It was remarkable, Mr Ellwood went on, that the most senior teacher, Mrs L.A. Chambers of the London Preb School, St. Andrew, should have produced “the most junior pupil,” nine year-old Joan Ann Rhoden. Mr Ellwood told the champions that in their prayers, they should thank God that they had been born in a country like Jamaica, which although lacking some of the amenities of other countries, was a beautiful place. “There is no country as beautiful and having as great a potential in its young people as Jamaica,” he added.

He said he was delighted to see that on the cultural plane, the youth of the Cayman Islands were linked with the youth  of Jamaica. And he hoped that the link would continue.

He suggested to the champions that they keep asking themselves, “What can I do to make Jamaica finer and better?”

The Acting Chairman of the Gleaner Company, Mr Leslie Ashenheim, made the opening remarks and welcome.

Commenting on the fact that there was a representative this year from the Cayman Islands, he said, “who knows? We will soon have students from have Yorks Island or Bermuda.”

Mr Ashenheim, in a review of the five-year old competition and that in 1960, the first year a mere 150 schools completed. The number this year was 480 and this included preparatory, primary, and secondary schools. St Andrew, with 73 schools, entered the largest number of school champions and it was interesting to note that this was the parish that had the youngest champion.

Of the rural parishes, Clarendon had the most competitors, with 48 schools entering.

Over the years Mr Ashenheim said, girls had usually been dominant in the contest.  It was pleasing to see that the boys had asserted themselves this year and outnumbered the girls this year for the first time.

Mr Ashenheim said that in the old days, spelling was “an extremely serious matter. Indeed, it was a subject in its own right. We were taught spelling in a most systematic way. I don’t believe that today, spelling is regarded as seriously as formerly.

“However, the record of the parish finalists indicates that at least in the schools from which they come spelling is taken seriously,” He said that it seemed to him that spelling was seriously neglected in the “literature of our land.”

It was always a great pleasure for the Gleaner Co. to organize the spelling competition.

Mr Ashenheim said he liked to feel that the Gleaner was helping young people in Jamaica.

Mrs Leslie Ashenheim then presented the champions with silver medals. The parish championship cups were presented to the teachers by Mr Ellwood.

Before dining, the children and their teachers were introduced to Mr and Mrs Ashenheim; Mr S.G. Fletcher, Managing Director of the Gleaner Company; and Mrs Fletcher, Mr Tom Sherman, and Mr Ellwood.

During the presentation of medals, Mr Theodore Sealy, Editor of the Gleaner, referred to a letter sent to the management of the Myrtle Bank Hotel by the mother of a spelling champion of a previous year.

The child had come up to Kingston with her mother to take the G.C.E. examination and they could find no place to stay. “Why not?” they reasoned. “stay at the Myrtle Bank’ where the child had stayed during the Spelling Bee activities.

Thanks

The hotel management welcomed them and put them up free off charge (applause). The mother had written them a warm letter thanking them for the fine gesture, their courtesy, friendly atmosphere, and appetising food.

The Band of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, under the baton of Supt. B.G. Wooton, played, beautiful music, especially from Hans Christian Anderson and the Student Prince.

Proposing the vote of thanks, Mr Fletcher said that he regarded the Gleaner Company and the Ministry of Education as partners in doing the best for the youth of Jamaica.

Today the Spelling Bee final week events continue with dictation tests this morning and afternoon at the Myrtle Bank Hotel, where champions and teachers are in residence.

During the morning, the group will make courtesy calls on Their Excellencies the Governor General and Lady Campbell at King’s House, the Prime Minister at his office and the Minister of Education at his office.

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