May 17 2009, 09:24 PM, updated 17y ago
QUOTE
Reading pays off for 5th former
TAIPING: Growing up with a 10-year gap between his sister and himself, Ng Jern Siong spent many a happy hour reading storybooks, accumulating enough to fill several cupboards in his house near here.
To his mother's surprise, Ng's preoccupation with the written word had its rewards, when he confidently spelt "spoonerism" and "factotum" on his way to becoming the best speller for the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right Challenge for secondary students in Perak yesterday.
"So, the hours he spent on books was worth it. I used to go after him for reading storybooks. Perhaps, I won't scold him any more when he does that," said Ng's mother, Yeoh Swe Chon, a 54-year-old Mathematics teacher.
A triumphant Ng was candid about his preparation for the spelling challenge: he only started flipping through a dictionary a day before the competition.
The Form Five Science student of SMK St George, here, is in the middle of his school's three-week examination, having sat his Physical paper on Friday and Moral Education scheduled for this Tuesday.
"I just read through the dictionary. When I was bored, I stopped to read a storybook," he said.
The victory was sweet as it was his first attempt at a public competition. He said he was delighted to have won the RM2,000 prize and learnt a few new words through the experience.
True to form, Ng said he would spend the money on more books.
Second prize went to D. Noelene Shamala, 14, of SMK Tarcisian Convent, Ipoh, who correctly spelt "apothecary" and "truncheoned" but stumbled at "hosiery" and "unconscionably".
Noelene, who participated in the SIR Challenge last year, noted that this year's competition was more challenging.
She won RM1,500, while Diong Zhi Zhi, 17, of SMJK Ayer Tawar, who was placed third, won RM1,000.
During the competition, Ng and Noelene were also locked in a tie-breaker to decide the best school. Ng emerged victorious again and earned the crowd's applause by spelling "dyslexia".
NST northern regional circulation manager Dzulamarulhilmi Mahar Affendi and RHB head of northern area manager Che The Siong presented RM2,000 to SMK St George, RM1,500 to SMK Tarcisian Convent and RM1,000 to SM Gunung Rapat, Ipoh.
"Students always have problems spelling. This competition is good because they will take it as a challenge to improve themselves," said Tarcisian Convent's English Department head Darling Tay Yen Tau.
Presenter and freelance educator Roopvanti M. Gulabrai also commended the students for being well-behaved and putting in the effort to prepare for the competition.
"Don't give up. Read a lot and take note of unusual words. When you read and see an unusual word, find out its meaning and try to use it in a sentence," she said.
The competition continues today at Taiping Central, with 76 contestants from 19 primary schools, before moving on to Terengganu on May 22 and 23, and Malacca on May 23 and 24.
Winners are to represent their states at the National Challenge in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 8.
TAIPING: Growing up with a 10-year gap between his sister and himself, Ng Jern Siong spent many a happy hour reading storybooks, accumulating enough to fill several cupboards in his house near here.
To his mother's surprise, Ng's preoccupation with the written word had its rewards, when he confidently spelt "spoonerism" and "factotum" on his way to becoming the best speller for the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right Challenge for secondary students in Perak yesterday.
"So, the hours he spent on books was worth it. I used to go after him for reading storybooks. Perhaps, I won't scold him any more when he does that," said Ng's mother, Yeoh Swe Chon, a 54-year-old Mathematics teacher.
A triumphant Ng was candid about his preparation for the spelling challenge: he only started flipping through a dictionary a day before the competition.
The Form Five Science student of SMK St George, here, is in the middle of his school's three-week examination, having sat his Physical paper on Friday and Moral Education scheduled for this Tuesday.
"I just read through the dictionary. When I was bored, I stopped to read a storybook," he said.
The victory was sweet as it was his first attempt at a public competition. He said he was delighted to have won the RM2,000 prize and learnt a few new words through the experience.
True to form, Ng said he would spend the money on more books.
Second prize went to D. Noelene Shamala, 14, of SMK Tarcisian Convent, Ipoh, who correctly spelt "apothecary" and "truncheoned" but stumbled at "hosiery" and "unconscionably".
Noelene, who participated in the SIR Challenge last year, noted that this year's competition was more challenging.
She won RM1,500, while Diong Zhi Zhi, 17, of SMJK Ayer Tawar, who was placed third, won RM1,000.
During the competition, Ng and Noelene were also locked in a tie-breaker to decide the best school. Ng emerged victorious again and earned the crowd's applause by spelling "dyslexia".
NST northern regional circulation manager Dzulamarulhilmi Mahar Affendi and RHB head of northern area manager Che The Siong presented RM2,000 to SMK St George, RM1,500 to SMK Tarcisian Convent and RM1,000 to SM Gunung Rapat, Ipoh.
"Students always have problems spelling. This competition is good because they will take it as a challenge to improve themselves," said Tarcisian Convent's English Department head Darling Tay Yen Tau.
Presenter and freelance educator Roopvanti M. Gulabrai also commended the students for being well-behaved and putting in the effort to prepare for the competition.
"Don't give up. Read a lot and take note of unusual words. When you read and see an unusual word, find out its meaning and try to use it in a sentence," she said.
The competition continues today at Taiping Central, with 76 contestants from 19 primary schools, before moving on to Terengganu on May 22 and 23, and Malacca on May 23 and 24.
Winners are to represent their states at the National Challenge in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 8.
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