Emily Anstice wins third place at national event
ASSIGINACK—It’s been an exciting few weeks for Assiginack Public School Grade 3 student Emily Anstice. The Tehkummah girl placed first in the Primary Division at the Regional Spelling Bee Competition in Sudbury in April and on Sunday, May 25, at the 38th Annual Championships, Emily came away from the National Spelling Bee Competition placing third in the Primary Division for all of Canada.
Julie Spence, founder of Spelling Bee of Canada writes, “The mission of Spelling Bee of Canada is to expand vocabulary, improve communication skills, and build self-confidence among our participants. These are more than just words—they represent the core of what SBOC stands for. By emphasizing the power of language early on, we help equip our young people with essential tools for success. As this year concludes, our team is already hard at work exploring new ways to innovate—enhancing current resources and exploring the integration of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, to further enrich the student experience.”
In a telephone interview with The Expositor Emily said, “I was pretty nervous, excited and also really happy at the same time because I made it there.” She shared how she prepared for the competition; she would do mini spelling bees with her parents and her sister. “There’s a word list, but we only used the word list for three rounds at the Nationals, then we did words off the list and they’re called the ‘tie-breaker rounds’.” She admitted the hardest word she had to spell was ‘construe.’ The word of her demise was cinematic.
“I’m eight now, so I’m the oldest in my category. I think I’m going to do the Spelling Bee again, but I think I’ll probably be the youngest (next year) in my category.” For now, she will rest on her laurels, but she wanted to share what she thinks of the experience overall. “Well, it was a good time, we made new friends, I had a lot of hard words. I feel like it’s a good experience for children to practice their reading and spelling. It gives them a good education. It’s kind of like a school on a stage.”
Well said, and well done, Emily. We congratulate you.
by Margery Frisch
