Once again we have great news coming from the small town of Copey. Well actually, the really great news is coming directly from the Learning Center.
The big news is about a Spelling Bee Competition (spelling English words) held at the local school in Copey. According to Eve Solomon, the Learning Center’s Coordinator, “this Spelling Bee is a nationally renowned event, appearing on national television in Costa Rica. Studying at Copey Learning Center prepared its students to succeed in this competition, which is a really big deal.” The entire country gets involved as the competition starts locally, then regional competitions are held in October, and finally a national competition is held in November.
A total of twelve students attending the Learning Center competed together with students who only attend the public school. To be clear, most of the students at the Learning Center also attend the public school each day before heading to the Learning Center afterwards to obtain additional English language education.
NEWS FLASH…….The four top place winners were all Learning Center students.
The winners are, from right to left, Ariana – 1st place, Camil – 2nd place, Dayana – 3rd place, and Tatiana – alternate.
It is also great news that Tatiana on the far left is an AGB Scholarship student sponsored by Jerry Merritt. Second Place Camil is not an AGB scholarship student but her twin sister Katrina is. Camil is able to attend the Learning Center because the scholarship used by Katrina allows her parents to afford to send Camil. So our support indirectly contributes to Camil’s success.
Other AGB Scholarship students participants included Silvia Karina sponsored by Bette Ward, Katrina sponsored by Dr. Lin Church, and Pablo Jesus and Anyela sponsored by Jerry Merritt. All donors are “Friends of Copey”.
We congratulate these very fine winners and the other participants. We wish the winners continued success at the next competition next Wednesday.
This is further proof that students attending the Learning Center are developing an educational advantage for their future. Students living in Copey must become educated capable of reading, writing (spelling), and speaking English. This is a critical skill needed by those less affluent aspiring to attend college or benefit from professional or technical employment opportunities the emerging and growing Costa Rican economy is producing.