KOTA KINABALU: It didn't take Andrea Glorie Javino long to decide what she planned to do with the RM1,000 and Acer laptop she won for coming first in the Sabah RHB-NST Junior Spell-it-Right Challenge.

"Buy a handphone, and play computer games and look out for more Hannah Montana programmes," she grinned.

The 9-year-old pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan St Anthony, Penampang, said she loved the Disney teen character and that she was a great fan of "Stacy AF" of Akademi Fantasia.

She also said she had not expected to win the top spot.

"I didn't know what many of the words meant, but I tried my best," she said, adding that she learned many new words from the experience.
Andrea correctly spelled "fascination" to win the first prize, beating Matthew Dominic Chu into second place. He stumbled on the word "luxurious".

Despite her not knowing their meanings, Andrea correctly spelled words such as "geography", "mathematician", "gable", "summary" and "wrinkle" to win.

Charis Koh Yan Mei came in third after correctly spelling "immediate", "barbarian" and "pane". But, she couldn't spell "indecisive" and "phobia".

Matthew won RM800 and Charis, RM500.

Andrea said reading Enid Blyton books had helped her to improve her English.

Her geologist father, Fredo-lin Javino, said he always encouraged her to read and watch the educational programmes on television.

Thirty-eight pupils from various schools took part in the contest. New Straits Times' Newspaper-in-Education unit manager Mary Chandapillai was contest presenter.

She later handed over the prizes to the winners, together with RHB Kota Kinabalu branch manager Lo Mei Hwa.