Spellers Write Their Way to Success; Seize 2nd, 3rd, 4th in Spelling Bee

Photo by IGMA Marketing & Promotion Organization

Successfully bearing the overwhelming feeling of anxiousness, three Ignacian Marians secured second, third, and fourth places in the Spelling Competition during the Baliwag City Private Schools Association (BaCiPriSA) meet held at Saint Jean Baptiste Academy (S.J.B.A.) on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Returning representatives from last year’s competition, Daphne Jean Villangca of Grade 7 – Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Agnes Maria Castro of Grade 4 – Prudence placed second and fourth, respectively, while Zacheus Adriel Hipolito of Grade 3 – Wisdom secured third place.

During an interview, Ms. Villangca identified nervousness as the hardest challenge to overcome, especially as she competed against spellers who were older and “perhaps more confident than me at the time.” She also recalled the waiting period as what stood out for her, noting the visible uneasiness among the contestants.

Despite her doubts and overthinking, Ms. Villangca said she was proud of herself for not allowing her age and limited experience to define her capabilities. Through the experience, she learned that “medals are received not just when you are confident, but even when you are uncertain.”

Given another opportunity to compete, Ms. Villangca said she would work on reducing her overthinking and relying more on logic rather than intuition.

Meanwhile, Ms. Castro also identified nervousness as a challenge before and during the competition, including while waiting for the results. Nevertheless, she was pleased with herself for maintaining her composure and managing the pressure despite the tense atmosphere.

One of Ms. Castro’s most memorable moments was seeing her fellow schoolmates and competitors express their prayers for one another as they hoped to win. The experience helped her recognize the importance of humility and kindness, even in a competition where participants were striving for individual achievements.

Among the lessons she took away from the experience was that “God made us go down this path for a reason.” She also emphasized the importance of turning to the Lord in prayer during moments of uneasiness.

Reflecting on how she would prepare if given another chance to compete this year, Ms. Castro said she would change her approach to studying spelling words by looking beyond their pronunciation. 

Based on her experience, she noted that spellers cannot always rely on how a word is pronounced, as some pronunciations may be inaccurate. Instead, she would study each word’s definition and common usage to help her identify the correct spelling.

All three students were coached by Ms. Janel Faith Basa.