Norwood’s P.S. 94 Kings College held its Annual Spelling Bee Contest for the school’s 4th and 5th graders on March 27, which saw 4th grader Bersour Poda emerge victorious out of a field of 20 contestants.

 

As Bersour confidently and correctly spelled the final word of the contest, “ostentatious,” the auditorium, filled with students, faculty, and parents, erupted in cheers and applause. To win the final round, Bersour also had to correctly spell the word “subservient.” That word proved a little too tricky for 4^th grader Kevin Vinansaca, who finished in second place.

 

Meanwhile, Mozdah Tuba, a fifth grader, finished in third place. The contestants in the final were each selected due to having already placed in the top two during prior spelling bee tests conducted in their respective classes. The final spelling bee contest lasted 15 rounds over the course of 90 suspenseful minutes.

 

Speaking to Norwood News after his win, Bersour said, “I was very stressed the whole time,” adding that “photosynthesis” was the one word he worried he might mess up. A mere 10 years of age, Bersour said he spent more than one hour every single day for several weeks preparing for the contest. “I was good at spelling, but I got better by practicing,” he said.

 

Some of the other words the 10-year-old spelled correctly in the later rounds of the contest included “seismologist,” “autochthonous,” [meaning indigenous] and “flabbergasted.”

 

Norwood News also spoke to Bersour’s mother after the event, who said, “I always practice with him but yesterday, he refused to practice because he said, ‘I’m fine, Mom. I’m ready!’” Bersour’s mom also said he told her he was going ‘to bring the trophy home.” The beaming mother continued, “I am so happy! I am so proud of him, and I cry because I can’t believe it!”

 

The school, located at 3530 Kings College Place, celebrated both Bersour’s victory and all the contestants’ hard work with a pizza party after the contest. This year marks the public school’s 16th Annual Spelling Bee Contest, now a firm tradition. Bersour, Kevin, and Mozdah each walked away with trophies for their efforts.

 

P.S. 94 also holds a Spelling Bee contest for its 2nd and 3rd graders, school officials said. A panel of four judges presided over the latest spelling bee competition, and contestants were allowed ask for the chosen words to be repeated, the definition of the words, and for the words to be used in a sentence.

 

Addressing the students on the day, Elizabeth Rosario, P.S. 94’s library media specialist, said, “This was a tough one, huh? You guys did awesome! Everyone that participated, you did a great job!”