Every year, Sahasra Deepika volunteers and staff go into 9th standard classrooms in the community. They visit disadvantaged government high schools around Bangalore where children are taught in the state language, Kannada. Without English proficiency, their chances of getting a job in such a cosmopolitan city are severely curtailed. The English tutoring done through our Outreach Program helps students gain confidence and a better understanding of the language. The program culminates annually in a Spelling Bee Contest, in which the top spellers at each school vie for a scholarship, prizes, and most of all, recognition for their talents. This year, nearly 2500 students from 26 schools participated in the program. On January 24th, 95 finalists took the stage at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
This was the longest Spelling Bee ever–35 rounds, ending in a dramatic tiebreaker between classmates Priyanka and Chandan from Honnaganna Hatti High School. Priyanka emerged the winner, saying, “Each year our school has won a prize. This year, that we won 1st prize makes me very happy. I’ve learned so many words. In the future, speaking English will be easier.” Many thanks to all of the sponsors, volunteers, judges, moderator Dr. G. Sridhar, and most especially to the children and their teachers for these amazing efforts!
