After the conclusion of the 2020 Scripps Regional Spelling Bee that took place on March 7th in Guam, Merii Rechelulk of SDA Elementary and Toyomi Singeo of Peleliu Elementary School each placed in the top ’20s, out of over 70 competitors from Guam and Saipan.
A few weeks after the competition, Island Times was able to speak to both girls to get their thoughts on their experiences.
Merii Rechelulk, who placed in the top ’20s, said that participating in the Spelling Bee was a great learning experience for her.
“I learned to never put myself down and to hold my head up high, but still put in my best efforts to improve and get better,” stated Rechelulk.
She went on to say that she loves the thrill of competition and would want to compete again. She hopes to learn more so that she can win a future Spelling Bee.
Toyomi Singeo, who placed 8th at Regionals, said she felt nervous about the competition and noted that the other spellers were very good. Nevertheless, the teachings of her coach Osisang Blailes really helped her out.
Learning different words and their pronunciations, as well as constantly trying her best to perfect her spelling, were some of the major takeaways for ToyomiSingeo.
Like Merii, Toyomi is also interested in competing again and said that she will try her best if given another opportunity.