CHAPTER 9: THE RESULTS
The hall became very quiet as everyone waited for the judges to announce the results.
Amara sat beside her teacher. She felt nervous because she really wanted to know how she had performed.
One of the judges walked to the front of the hall with a sheet of paper in his hand.
"Good afternoon, everyone," he said.
"Good afternoon, sir," the students replied.
"I want to congratulate all the students who took part in this competition. You all worked very hard."
Everyone clapped.
The judge smiled and continued.
"We will now announce the students who came in third, second, and first place."
Amara's heart began to beat faster.
The judge announced the student who came third.
Everyone clapped.
Then he announced the student who came second.
Amara listened carefully.
She was still waiting to hear the name of the first-place winner.
The judge looked at the paper again.
"And now, the student who came first in the inter-school Mathematics Challenge is…"
He paused for a moment.
Amara held her breath.
"Amara!"
The hall burst into applause.
Amara could hardly believe what she had heard.
"Me?" she whispered.
Her teacher smiled and clapped proudly.
"Yes, Amara! You did it!"
Amara stood up and walked to the front of the hall.
She received her certificate and prize from the judges.
Everyone was cheering for her.
She smiled brightly.
She remembered all the difficult questions she had practised and all the times she had wanted to give up.
But she had kept going.
When she returned home, she showed her mother the certificate.
Her mother hugged her proudly.
"I knew you could do it, Amara."
Amara smiled.
"Thank you, Mummy. I learned that if I keep trying, I can overcome difficult things."
Author's thought: Amara had discovered something very important. Winning was wonderful, but the greatest part of her journey was learning to believe in herself and never give up.
This was another victory for Amara, but she did not know that an even bigger opportunity was waiting for her.
To be continued… 🌟📖