PHILIPSBURG:--- On Sunday The Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle hosted the Semifinals of the Scotiabank Rotary-Rotaract Spelling Bee 2016.
The fifteen semi-finalists from eight schools were Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School: Radharoni Natram, Learning Unlimited School: Dhiren Punjabi & Krishang Motwani, Methodist Agogic Center Browlia Maynard Campus: Lavanya Budhwani, Rianna Ayoka Roberts & Sacha Tobias,Methodist Agogic Center Rev. John A Gumbs Campus: D'shenay Gayle & Vinti Atmaramani, Seventh Day Adventist School: Varsha Ghanash, St. Dominic School: Aman Sukhani, Suhani Nathumal & Syandra Caesar, St. Joseph School: Bani Rajpal & Denny Mo and the Adrian T Hazel School: Steven Connor.
In the Preliminary Round the participants had to write the selected words, but this week at the Semi-Finals, they had to stand in front of the audience and the judges and speak into the microphone with their selected word. Each participant had to spell fifteen words; each word was worth five points. At the end of the Semi-Finals there was no tie but it was a tight finish.
Headed to the Finals are 5 participants from four schools: Learning Unlimited: Dhiren Punjabi, Methodist Agogic Center Browlia F. Maynard Campus: Lavanya Budhwani, Methodist Agogic Center Rev. John A Gumbs Campus: D'shenay Gayle, St. Dominic: Suhani Nathumel & Syandra Caesar.