Deputy Chief of Mission Nicole Chulick’s Remarks at The Spelling Bee 2023 National Finals
February 4
Christ the King Parish Hall, Cantonments
H.E. Mrs. Rebecca Akuffo-Addo, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana;
Hon. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Minister of Information;
Former CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Madam Mawuena Trebarh;
MP for Ketu South Constituency, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie;
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E. Eliphas Mugendi Barine;
Country Director, Young Educators Foundation Ms. Eugenia Tachie Menson;
This year’s competitors;
Proud parents and family;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Hello! On behalf of the U.S. Mission to Ghana, I am delighted to be here with you to celebrate The Spelling Bee’s 2023 National Finals and championship! Thank you to Mrs. Eugenia Tachie Menson and the Young Educators Foundation for the invitation. I applaud all the students who competed throughout the year; and congratulations those who advanced to today’s final. The U.S. Embassy is a proud, longtime supporter of The Spelling Bee – and for good reason. We share an interest in educational development and literacy.
Our support to The Spelling Bee, through the Young Educator’s Foundation, is just one example of U.S. government contributions to Ghana’s literacy development. The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International
Development, supports Ghana’s Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to improve learning achievement for primary school students. Last year, Ambassador Palmer handed over 3.7 million Basic 1 to Basic 3 English teaching and learning materials to the Ministry of Education. These materials reached over 11,000 schools. And since 2014, we’ve provided more than 10 million learning materials for Ghana’s primary schools.
The Mission of the Young Educator’s Foundation aligns with these efforts to promote reading and literacy – and the development of Ghana’s most precious resources – its human resources.
The Spelling Bee competition does much more than create great spellers – it helps students increase their vocabulary, learn and understand word concepts, and develop their English language usage, skills which serve spellers for the rest of their lives.
This competition also helps develop self-confidence, public speaking skills, the ability to thrive under pressure, and compete with equanimity, win or lose. Education opens doors to professional, personal, and cultural opportunities.
For those families who might want to consider U.S. education after secondary school, I encourage you to become familiar with EducationUSA, the U.S. Government’s advising service for students who want to study in the United States. You can find information about EducationUSA on the Embassy’s website or by following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @USEmbassyGhana.
Spellers, win or lose, you are coming away with valuable knowledge and an experience that you’ll be able to apply to many of life’s challenges. On behalf of the U.S. Embassy, I congratulate ALL the spellers and their families on making it here today.
Ayekoo!
