By Ebere Akuma
Ebelechukwu International Group of Schools, Nkpor, Anambra State, has celebrated two of its students who distinguished themselves at the 17th edition of the Spelling Leaders Competition organised by Spell Africa International in Lagos.
The school rolled out the drums on Monday, August 10, to honour its students who emerged among the top performers at the national competition.
The school had qualified for the competition after its representatives defeated competitors from other schools in Anambra State during the state-level contest in May.
At the national grand finale, Miss Chimamanda Ekeigwe emerged second runner-up in the secondary school category, placing Ebelechukwu International Group of Schools third among 191 participating schools from across Nigeria.
Another student of the school, Miss Blessing David, also put up an impressive performance, finishing seventh in the primary school category.
Speaking at a reception organised in honour of the students at the school’s Akuzor Campus, Nkpor, in Idemili North Local Government Area, the Director, Mr Ebelechukwu Timothy Chukwukelu, commended the students for their outstanding performance, particularly as it was the school’s first outing at the national competition.
Chukwukelu described the trophy as a symbol of hard work, discipline, preparation, determination and excellence.
He said the achievement had demonstrated that with adequate preparation, confidence and commitment, children could compete and excel at the highest level.
The director urged other pupils and students of the school to draw inspiration from the achievement and aspire to greater heights.
“At Ebelechukwu Schools, our motto is ‘Inspired to Aspire’, and our mission is to discover and develop the potential in every child. This achievement is a beautiful demonstration of that vision.
“One trophy must lead to another achievement, one success must inspire another, and one generation of winners must prepare the next,” he said.
Chukwukelu also commended the teachers and coaches for their contribution to the success, noting that the performance of the students demonstrated the impact of quality teaching and dedicated coaching.
He said the countless hours invested by the coaches in preparing the contestants had contributed significantly to the feat recorded by the school.
The team coach, Miss Chika Omerede, said the team had to overcome several challenges during its preparation for the competition.
According to her, the contestants and their coaches worked day and night to cope with the enormous demands of the spelling competition.
She, however, said the commitment and dedication of the team eventually paid off, resulting in the impressive performance recorded at its first attempt.
The team leader, Mr Rowland Nwekeson, praised the resilience of the students, saying their success was the product of hard work and determination.
“We are not surprised with our results because we worked hard. But this success is a wake-up call to do more because we have Africa to conquer, and we also have the world to face.
“This is the beginning of the journey,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the student delegation, Chimamanda Ekeigwe recounted some of the challenges the team encountered as first-time participants in the national competition.
She expressed delight that their efforts eventually yielded laurels, adding that the experience had strengthened her resolve and that of her teammates to aim higher in subsequent competitions.
As part of activities marking the celebration, the school director announced scholarship awards for the 10 students who represented the school at the competition.
The scholarship, he said, would cover their tuition fees and school uniforms.
He also announced cash awards for the coaches, Mr Okekeson and Miss Omerede, in recognition of their contributions to the students’ success.
