Hard work and dedication worked for Cadejah

Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth

Name: Cadejah Adams

Age: 11

School: Brompton Primary

Coach: Denise Duncan

Winning word: Ensemble

Top 5

1. Cadejah Adams, Brompton Primary

2. Osanjo Brooks, Black River High

3. Arissa Falloon, Hopewell ECI and Prep

4. Jessica McKnight, Hampton School

5. Obrian Robinson, Glen Stuart Primary

Quote: "I feel good! I was nervous, but I settled down and listened to the words and I won."

Cadejah's coach, Denise Duncan: "I'm ecstatic! I don't even know if words are there to state my true feelings now, as I have been doing his for six years and it is the first time that the school has ever won this competition. It was through hard work, it was through dedication, because the children had to come out on the weekends and it was hard. But I knew we had the support of our principal and the entire school and that gave us the push. We came here expecting it and we got it."

Preparing for parish finals: "We started preparing her from last year. When we did the inter-school competition, she was first, so she had knowledge of the words. Coming into September, every lunchtime I took them for half an hour, every club time, every free period, we studied. We had to make use of the time that we had and used it efficiently and this is it."

Cadejah, on preparing for nationals: "I'll just try to do my best and see the outcome."

Coach: "We are just going to stick to what works best with her."

* Though Cadejah didn't know the book, her teacher says she has a photographic memory, which helped her in the final stages of the spell-down that went into final words. Adams was placed fifth in last year's parish finals.