Bee..Eee...Eee: BEE!
A maze of alphabets, a lexicon of words, an interesting intiative, a peek through the pages of tomes.....does it ring a bell? Yes, that’s the gist of the first ever “KELS Spelling Bee” held at K.E this March. Having always been interested in literary stuff, this event provided me with an opportunity to go beyond the leaves of books and take a ride through the boulevard of the world of words; not just their pronounciation but also their origin. While walking through the crossroads at zero-point, I chanced a glance at the colorful cardboard on display on the wall, and like many other students, the idea of taking part in a spelling contest struck me as fun. So, I geared up for this event (by cramming up the words list provided by KELS for this event). On the day of competition, I sacrificed Histo’s lecture (I know! I know! That’s a huge one) to be a part of this event. When I first entered the hall, the sight before me told a different story. Some participants were reclining on their seats at complete leisure ( no surprise here as this occasion provided them with a ruse to flee from the torturous lecture halls), but a few rare sights presented to me people who were anxiously mulling over all the cumbersome words one ever comes across in one’s life. Swallowing against a huge lump of fear that threatened to overcome me, I buckled up for the First round.
Round 1: DICTATION
(Sneak a Peek)
In the initial round, we had to scrawl down the 15 words spoken before us. The spoken words seemed all Greek to me at first. At a loss, I sneaked a peek around me and saw many faces mirroring the same puzzled expressions which, i could very well guess, dominated my visage at that time. Like me, they were all the members of that same clique who could never get the hang of some choice words of English. Like, who would have thought that ‘bourgeoisie’ was pronounced as ‘boorzhwahze’......Then, the rescue came in the form of the meanings of words which were being projected and which lent an anchor to my sinking heart and paved down way for us all to wade through this mind-grinding round.
TAKE A BREAK
(Audience....exclusively)
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The participants; during audience round
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During the time the results for 1st round were being compiled,an audience session was held in which they were given a chance to make a go at spelling the words. But the spirits of ‘the courage-laden participants’ refused to subside and they took part in this session as well to their fill and won many accolades for themselves which were infact destined for the audience.
Round 2: SPELL OUT LOUD
(Strive to make yourselves audible)
In the 2nd round, the qualifying candidates were called out one by one to spell out 6 words spoken before them inorder to make way to the next round. The audience lent this round an extra twist by being the most boisterous ever, so that the paticipants had to strive just to make themselves audible.
Round 3: RAPID FIRE
(The Viva Scenario)
The kemcolian bees who made it to the 3rd round were then subjected to a volley of words. The ticking clocks, the racing hearts and the running tongues; all these made this phase a real adventure. This semi-final round served as a test for the speed,heed and vigilance of the judges as well who proved to be up to the mark.
Round 4: SUDDEN DEATH ROUND
(and Triumphant at last)
In a land far, far away, where the hives were honey-laden and the air was filled with buzz; the spelling bees found themselves on the precipice ( The Sudden Death Round). The survivors were asked to spell one word each; the successful being crowned as ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ (King and Queen bees all at K.E). The Bees who won the accolades are:
1st Position: Arslan Ahmed Khan (1st Year)
2nd Position: Zahra Tasneem (2nd Year)
3rd Position: Fatima Qamar (1st Year)
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Jokes apart, this event truly motivated us all to be curious and to be cognizant of not only the meanings of words written before us, but also of their origin and their pronounciation. It was a great initiative taken by King Edward Literary Society to enable the students to sharpen their vocabulary and to encourage one’s mind to take a peek into architecture of words. The judges Muhammad Bilal,Dr. Remisha Zahid Shah and Dr. Mussab Ahmed proved to be the foci of vigilance, granting the sky seekers of K.E. a glimpse into the world of literature. Hats off to all the people who made this event possible.
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