The Wellesley Education Foundation‘s Spelling Bee returned as an in-person event this past week, at least for participants and organizers, with nearly 30 teams representing schools, businesses, volunteer groups, and local government competing.
The Bee went virtual in 2020 and skipped last year due to the pandemic, but eased its way back to normalcy this time around. As one participant wrote, “Non-participating spectators were not allowed because of Covid. I suspect some spouse and kid would-be spectators were not disappointed by that rule ;-)”
The Sustainable Wellesley team, whose three members split up the word list and studied hard, earned the trophy. The team—led by ringer Katie Smith Milway (twice prior Bee winner), Chris Crowley, and Elizabeth May—correctly spelled some tough words in the final round to win it, and according to their backers, their knowledge of environmental issues didn’t hurt. The winning word, “ichnolite,” means a fossil footprint, and the penultimate word, “soliterraneous,” relates to the earth and sun.
Among the teams knocked off near the end was a group of 8th graders who became fan favorites after advancing past PTO teams and some high school seniors.
The big winners as usual were students, teachers, and the school community, as the event raised $45K. Wellesley Education Foundation uses funds raised via the Spelling Bee to support learning initiatives in the public school system.
Thanks to George Roberts for sharing photos from the Bee.
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