Or honorificabilitudinatibus?

Sydney
28 July 2002

Ave Maria, it’s a girl!

Be like good Samaritan, says nun who helped refugee kids

Something to sing about

Or honorificabilitudinatibus?

Instant tax deductions when you give to charity

Vatican II: People like a fight, but no battle was brewing

Willesee looks at Eucharist miracles and Last Supper in documentary

Caritas rallies to aid of typhoon victims

Bishop hopes sex abuse crisis is catalyst for ‘serious change’

Chapel, museum open all day on Bl Mary’s feast day

New campus on Brisbane seminary site

ACU led way on maternity leave

Visitors bowled over by cricket

Editorial: Need of each other

Letters: Prisoner of the Vatican

Conversation: A life of faith ‘straight between the posts’ - Frank Hyde, football player, coach, journalist, broadcaster

Reflections: Me, The Muppets and my vocation

Feature: Life begins at 40! Religious life, that is

More than one blessing – ‘for the benefit of all’

Kids wear pyjamas to school to help Vinnies ‘lift lid’

Feature: Ecumenical oasis in a desert of concrete and glass ...

Revisiting St Brigid’s – contemplative beauty in a quiet corner of the city

Sport and the Jesus factor

Inspirations: Toronto: Fiona Fonti’s foray into faith

Or honorificabilitudinatibus?

Cool under pressure, Claire Burrell-McDonald relaxes during the televised spelling competition

By Marilyn Kerjean

Given 90 seconds to spell each word how do you think you would go with these – glycerol, apothecary, angioplasty, and notoriety?

What about leprechaun, mispronunciation, or diarrhoea? And all before an audience, a panel of judges and television cameras?

This was the challenge met by Claire Burrell-McDonald, Year 5 student at All Hallows Primary School, Five Dock.

The 10-year-old, who says she “just loves to read”, out-spelled children up to four years her senior to be in the last 15 out of 60 national finalists at the Harvey Norman Ozspell Australian spelling championship.

Students who made it to the national final came from education districts from across the country.

The final was televised but the competition began in classrooms in February. School champions progressed to the district level competition in May.

At All Hallows, the school champions were Sinead Curry, Ellie Humphreys and Max Dixon – all from Year 6 – plus Claire.

Max and Claire made it to the district finals, where Claire triumphed.

The national finals were held in Sydney over three days.

Those days, before an audience and television cameras were “extremely pressured” says Claire’s mum, Elizabeth Burrell.

“It was quite intense for a little girl. She was happy to have got that far and we’re all very proud of her.”

Elizabeth says the school was “fantastically supportive”, especially All Hallows’ principal Trish Brown, who went along to the finals at the Seymour Centre each day.

This was the first year of the competition.

The objective is to enhance spelling and literacy skills in children by encouraging them to expand their vocabulary as well as improve their communication and comprehension skills.

The overall winner was a Year 7 student, Daniel Hickey of Deniliquin, NSW, who received a $10,000 savings account and $20,000 worth of computer equipment for his school.

All the national finalists received a Macquarie Dictionary, certificate and a cash prize, ranging from $50 to $5,000.

The highlight for Claire was meeting children from all over Australia – some of whom she plans to keep in touch with.

And does she want to have a second shot next year? “You bet,” she says.