PETALING JAYA: IT was a dream came true for SK Bukit Subang pupil Adrianna Sophea Adruin Shazaen when she emerged as Selangor’s top speller yesterday.
The Year Five pupil defeated 96 other contestants to emerge as the winner in RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right (SIR) Challenge (primary category) 2014 at Tropicana City Mall here.
Adrianna described her victory as “speechless” and a great achievement as this was her third attempt in the competition.
“I did not get any prize in my first attempt and I finished in fourth place last year.
“I am glad that my hard work paid off as I spent at least three hours daily reading storybooks and the dictionary.
“I also watched the previous SIR videos as preparation.”
The eldest of three siblings, Adrianna said she also made sure to learn new words to prepare for the challenge.
“I looked forward to the national level competition in October.”
Her mother Junita Shamsul, 42, said she was very proud of her daughter’s achievement as she had made all the preparation on her own.
“She was very independent as my husband and I were busy and were not able to help her with her preparation. She worked very hard to get to this level and we will support her in the national competition.”
Adrianna took home RM2,000 and a certificate, while Shahanapriyatini M. Ganesan from SK Assunta Satu bagged RM1,500 and a certificate.
Lacshen Kathirmathy of SK Taman Megah emerged as the second runner-up, receiving RM1,000 and a certificate.
Edison Tan from SJK (C) Yak Chee won the fourth place while the fifth place went to Harris Hakim of SK Taman Nirwana.
In Ipoh,A. Sathyaswaruben, 11, a Year Five pupil of SK Cator Avenue, beat 97 other participants to represent Perak in the national contest.
The only son of Dr M. Arunakiri and A. Yamini said he prepared for the contest by reading the dictionary.
“My mother bought me an Oxford dictionary after I told her I was participating in the contest.”
Asked how he would prepare for the national contest, the bespectacled boy replied: “Read more dictionaries.”
Sathyaswaruben said he learnt about the contest during his school assembly in March.
“One of the teachers asked for volunteers to the contest and I raised my hand without hesitation.”
Yamini said she helped her son to prepare for the contest.
“I downloaded dictionaries from the Internet which teaches the pronunciation of the words,” said the teacher from SMK Seri Intan.
Sathyaswaruben received RM2,000 and a certificate.
His schoolmates, Lucas Tan and S. Dharshan, were first and second runner up.
They walked away with RM1,500 and RM1,000 respectively as well as certificates.