Sharing Navajo Knowledge

Miss Newcomb Middle School Jodonna Lapahie,right picks hair out of her lollypop while Jovanna Dakia plays with her cell phone outside Tse Bit' Ai Middle School Friday. The two were in Shiprock for the reading competition. (Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent)

By Brian Hassler
Staff Writer

SHIPROCK — Tyrell Jim hadn't been able to beat Jonathan Wilson in a spelling bee before but that all changed on Friday afternoon at Tse' Bit Ai' Middle School.

Jim, a sophomore at Newcomb High School, and Wilson, a junior at Newcomb High School, had been practicing all year in preparation for the Navajo Knowledge Bowl spelling bee and saw all their hard work pay off.

"I was just concentrating today," said Jim. "I was nervous up there and I wanted to beat him, my goal was to beat him this year because he won last year."

The annual event featured reading, writing, spelling and quiz competitions that allowed students to test their knowledge of Navajo culture and spelling as well as singing and other musical competitions.

Both Jim and Wilson have been preparing since the beginning of the year for the competition. Jim read the same book to his grandmother each day to prepare and Wilson used any spare time he could find to get ready for both the spelling bee and the quiz portion of the knowledge bowl.

"We practice in the class and always go against each other. We start off with a lot of people but it always comes down to us two. We keep going back and forth and Tyrell usually messes up more than I do but he did good today."

For Wilson it was a return to a familiar spot after winning the spelling bee last year during the knowledge bowl and he knew that he would have to face Jim in order to repeat as the spelling champion. After one round the field was cut in half from eight to four.

By the time the judges were giving the competitors intermediate words, the field was cut down to Jim and Wilson.

"I was proud but nervous at the same time," said Barbara Howard, Newcomb's sponsor. "It's nice for them to showcase their abilities. It's not about me; it's about them. They have the motivation and all that and it's awesome. These guys work at it and it's that work and the motivation. They just have an ear for the words and the sounds. Every year we prepare from the beginning. I think they already knew that they were going to be at the top, they already knew they were going to be against each other. They practice together and I practice with them. They knew and I knew that they would do this well."

Jim and Wilson weren't finished as they helped lead Newcomb's team to a first place finish in the Navajo Knowledge Bowl quiz competition. In addition to strong performances from Jim and Wilson, Newcomb's quiz team got solid help from Temara Lewis and Shantell White to lead Newcomb to victories over second place Cuba High School and third place Shiprock High School.

The wins in spelling and quiz competition could also lead Howard to her fourth consecutive sponsors award, an award that is given to the sponsor that leads her team to the most individual trophies.

"Maybe I'll quit after getting the fourth one," said Howard.

"Everything comes in fours and it may be time for me to quit after getting a fourth one."

That award and others won't be tabulated until later next week, forcing Howard and other sponsors to wait until the final numbers are available.

— Brian Hassler is The Independent's Four Corners reporter based in Shiprock. Contact him at (505) 360-7862 or via email at brianhassler@hotmail.com