Levels 3 and 4 Spelling Bee
The spelling bee for English major students from levels 3 and 4 was held on Tuesday, November 10th. Although the initial turnout was smaller compared to the previous spelling bee for levels 1 and 2, the number of participants gradually grew and remained consistent throughout the event.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, the Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Translation, inaugurated the event with a speech emphasizing the importance of improving English spelling skills, setting the tone for the competition.
The initial rounds included just over fifteen students who were given words from a pre-randomized list of 425 words, arranged by syllable from one-syllable to six-syllable words. As the rounds progressed, the difficulty level increased with longer and more challenging words. The final rounds included upper-level vocabulary terms such as "nonchalant," "aggressive," "approximate," "protagonist," and "extraordinary." Each contestant's final attempt was followed by the projection of the correct spelling, pronunciation, and a sample sentence or phrase from the online Cambridge Dictionary for the benefit of the audience.
A core group of contestants performed exceptionally well, and it became evident that none of the final three contestants would be eliminated, even after another 16 rounds. Therefore, it was decided to award first prize to all three of them. The first prize winners were Abdullah Qasem Haroubi, Abdulrahman Ali M Alasmari, and Yahya Mohammad Asiri. Faisal Al Faifi and Muhammad Salem Saeed Alshehri received second and third prizes, respectively. Congratulations were extended to all the winners for their determination and thorough preparation.
Dr. Abdulkhaleq Al-Qahtani, the Vice Dean for Academic Development and Quality, concluded the event with a brief speech and presented the prizes to the winners, committee members, and teachers who had mentored the students for the competition. The English Club committee members also assisted in the award ceremony.
Overall, the event was highly successful, providing great educational benefit to both the participants and the audience. Many audience members commented on the high level of competition, and long-time faculty members acknowledged the significant progress made in this regard over the past few years.
The event was organized by the following committee members: Dr. Mohammad Osman, Dr. Nisar Ahmed Koka, Dr. Nurul Islam, Mr. Erich Beer, and Mr. Mohammad Adil. Mr. Ibrahim Alasmari managed the event, and Mr. Salahuddin Abdulrrab served as the graphic designer. The judging panel included Dr. Rafiq Shamiry, Dr. Sorin Ciutacu, and Mr. Matthew Paul.
