Students who competed in Friday’s Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Northwestel Spelling Bee may not have been asked to spell the word “green”, but the nine winners may well be thinking “green” now. That’s because Northwestel decided to award this year’s winners with prizes that support waste-free lunches. The top spellers received stainless steel water bottles and Laptop Lunches lunchboxes, which are sustainable environmentally-friendly lunch containers.

“Northwestel has a strong interest in working together with our customers to protect the northern environment,” said Paul Flaherty, Northwestel President and Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Northwestel Directory Recycling program is an example of this. We are very proud to be part of the Sourdough Rendezvous Northwestel Spelling Bee because of its excellent educational, social and cultural aspects. This year we decided we could enhance the event even more by adding a ‘green’ element to the prizes. The bottles and containers will make it easier for students and families to pack nutritious lunches and reduce waste.” The Laptop Lunches containers are reusable, recyclable, dishwasher-safe and are made of recycled plastic. They contain no phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA) or lead.

The 2010 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Northwestel Spelling Bee took place Friday in the main foyer of the Yukon government administration building on 2^nd Avenue in Whitehorse. When the competition ended, nine students from four different schools had won the top positions in three different categories. They are:

1^st Place English – Quynh Nguyen, Grade 7, Elijah Smith Elementary

1^st Place French – Marek Boulerice, Grade 5, École Emilie-Tremblay

1^st Place French Immersion – Matthias Hoenisch, Grade 4, École primaire Whitehorse Elementary School

2^nd Place English – Sana Javed, Grade 5, Elijah Smith Elementary

2^nd Place French – Liam Mather, Grade 3, École Emilie-Tremblay

2^nd Place French Immersion – Shae Petterson, Grade 6, École primaire Whitehorse Elementary School

3^rd Place English – Alisha Khalik, Grade 5, Selkirk Elementary

3^rd Place French – Isak Parker, Grade 5, École Emilie-Tremblay

3^rd Place French Immersion – Zoë Brisebois-Bourget, Grade 5, École primaire Whitehorse Elementary School

“This spelling bee is a fun and exciting event for the students and is also an important educational tool,” says Sandra Henderson, volunteer organizer of the bee. “When students can spell well, it helps with their writing, speech and all forms of communication. I’m very proud of all the students and schools who have taken part in the bee once again this year. All in all, it was an excellent day.”

A total of 38 students, from Grades 3 through 8, registered to compete in this year’s spelling bee, 14 in English, 10 in French, and 14 in French Immersion. The students came from nine Yukon schools, including St. Elias Community School in Haines Junction, Golden Horn Elementary just outside Whitehorse, and seven Whitehorse schools: Christ the King Elementary, École Emilie-Tremblay, École primaire Whitehorse Elementary School, Elijah Smith Elementary, Holy Family Elementary, Jack Hulland Elementary and Selkirk Elementary.

In addition to the lunchboxes and water bottles, the three 1^st place winners in English, French and French Immersion received cash awards of $150.00 each. Similarly, the three 2^nd place winners in each category also received $100.00 each and the three 3^rd place winners $75.00 each. All nine top finishers received a medal in gold, silver or bronze. The schools whose students win 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd place receive $200.00 and a trophy to display at the school for a year.

This is the 9^th year that Northwestel has sponsored the spelling bee during the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous weekend.

In 2009, Northwestel contributed more than $550,000 in cash and in-kind donations to many northern community groups. Throughout its history, Northwestel has played a key role in the economic, social and cultural development of the North. Northwestel is recognized as a key contributor to the well-being of northern communities through its community investment program and the volunteer contributions of its employees.

Northwestel provides complete telecommunications solutions and entertainment services in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, northern British Columbia and High Level, Alberta. The company’s operations span nearly 4 million square kilometres of the most remote and rugged areas of Canada.