ROW ONE, Grades 2-3 from the first night -- left to right:
Winner, Raaiqa Zahid of Parkview Elementary School
Second Place, Cierra Wilson of Forest Heights Academy of Excellence
Third Place, Amy Andalib of BRCVPA
 
ROW TWO, Grades 4-5 from the second night -- left to right:
Winner, Karenna Mitchell of Wedgewood Elementary School
Second Place, Dedunu Herath of BRCVPA
Third Place, Ethan Zahid of Parkview Elementary School (Raaiqa's brother)

The winning words for the fifth annual East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s district-wide Spelling Bee for 2011 were “harassment” the first night of second- and third-grade competitors and “whimsicality” the second night of fourth- and fifth-grade competitors.  The Bee was held the nights of Monday, November 7, and Tuesday, November 8, at McKinley Middle Academic Magnet School.

About 100 students representing each elementary school in the district were vying for the two top spellers’ crowns for 2011-2012.  Raaiqa Zahid of Parkview Elementary School walked away with first prize among second and third graders by spelling “harassment” correctly.  Second place with to Cierra Wilson of Forest Height Academy of Excellence, and third place went to Amy Andalib of the Baton Rouge Center for Visual & Performing Arts (BRCVPA).

On the second night, Karenna Mitchell of Wedgewood Elementary School was the top fourth-/fifth-grade speller by correctly spelling the word “whimsicality.”  Second place went to Dedunu Herath of BRCVPA and third place to Ethan Zahid of Parkview Elementary School.  Ethan is the brother of Raaiqa, the first night’s Spelling Bee champ.