Student Isaac Gweh of Area “B” School in the mining town of Yekepa has won the championship of an annual spelling competition.
Gweh won the ArceloMitta-Liberia Annual Spelling Bee Competition for 2022/2023 ahead of two others who had vowed to emerge top performers.
Student Gweh was awarded a US$200 cash prize, a gold medal and the Spelling Bee trophy on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at a well-attended event in Yekepa.
Rafael Odo of Area “B” School emerged as 2nd winner, was awarded US$150 and a gold-colored medal, while third placed winner, Emmanuel Lakpor, Area “C” School, received US$100 with a gold medal.
At the close of the spelling bee competition, all participating students were handed medals for their individual performance.
The competition, organized by the ArceloMitta-Liberia School System in Yekepa, featured 24 students from eight primary schools, including Area “B” and “C” schools St. Joseph, St. Martin, St. Francis, Prime System, Rev. Peter K. Siaway Inland Academy and Free Pentecostal Schools.
It was held in the auditorium of the African Bible College University (ABCU) right by the AML Yekepa concessional area.
ArcelorMittal Liberia School Superintendent, Peter Zuagar, said the primary objective of the competition was to bring young students together to showcase their spelling skills.
According to him, the spelling bee tournament introduced by the Ministry of Education and Nimba County School System in collaboration with the ArceloMitta Liberia School System is an annual and long-term event to improve education outcome at the primary school level.
ArcelorMittal Liberia said it believes that the learning process accompanying the spelling bee is likely to enhance children’s memory and allow them to develop better learning skills, which can prove to be highly beneficial during higher education.
“Spelling bee competitions like this one supported by AML can help beginner-level students gain the confidence they need to speak in public and accept their mistakes, while also getting the applause their hard work deserves,” ArcelorMittal said.
ArcelorMittal has for years funded varied education objectives across Liberia, ranging from international to community-level scholarships for scores of Liberians.
The company has either through its social development fund or on its own, constructed, rehabilitated or supported dozens of public and private schools, especially in its host counties of Grand Bassa, Bong and Nimba.
Under its training and development program, ArcelorMittal Liberia in 2017 launched a Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Yekepa, with a $7 million investment.
The center has been providing young people with globally recognized and certified apprenticeship training for roles such as diesel mechanics, electricians, mechanical fitters, boilermakers, welders, and instrumentation technicians. It is one of a kind in the country.
The first group of 46 apprentices started their training in March 2018, and in March 2019 the second group of 54 students, including 6 women, entered the training program.
AML said, “Our aim is to have 50 apprentices graduating every year.”