The Wellesley High School cafeteria was abuzz with Spelling Bee excitement for the second time in 2023 as the Wellesley Education Foundation got the fundraiser back on track to its traditional fall timing after COVID messed with the natural order of, well, everything for a couple of years. Most photos by George Roberts, Wellesley Public Media.

Wellesley Spelling Bee. Photo by George Roberts — **TREPIDATON** as Wellesley Mothers Forum team members Rebecca Russell, Jael Maack, and Molly Palmer wait to hear if they spelled “arachnophobia” correctly.

Wellesley Spelling Bee — **TRIUMPH**—Wellesley Mothers Forum members celebrate their win after correctly spelling “arachnophobia.”

Thirty-five three-person teams with names like BEE Wise Advisory; METCO Marvels; BEEthovens; and May the Spell Bee With You competed for bragging rights and the chance to have their team name inscribed on the massive trophy for all eternity. Host and sportscaster Mike Dowling enunciated words that were hard to say and even harder to spell. Once he called out a word, teams had only 30 seconds to confer, write the word on a whiteboard, and hold it up to face the scrutiny of the judges. If Supt. David Lussier; WMS Principal Mark Ito; Sandra Trach, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning; and Leigh Petrowsky, Principal of Sprague Elementary, agreed the word was spelled correctly, then phew! On to the next word.

WHS Principal Jamie Chisum kept the time clock and worked the gong with his usual aplomb.

Congratulations to the big winners—Wellesley Mothers Forum. Rebecca Russell, Jael Maack, and Molly Palmer beat out four other teams that made it to the Final Round (spelling “pleiad” gave Mothers Forum the win in the preliminary round). In then end, they fearlessly spelled “arachnophobia” for the title. Leave it to the moms to untangle a big mess of letters and line them up neat and tidy into their proper places.

The fundraiser each year raises thousands to provide enrichment programs for the Wellesley Public Schools. If you can spell bivouac; koinonia; Makahiki; putsch; pituitary; luscious; and appoggiatura, the Bee needs spellers like you, so put together a team for next year. Can’t spell any of those words? No problem, the Bee needs slackers like you, so put together a team for next year. It’s all about putting the fun into fundraising on Spelling Bee night.

Here’s Wellesley Public Media’s recording of the Bee.

Thanks to Bee sponsors Needham Bank; Deland, Gibson Insurance; NEOC; Mr. Nice Dog Grooming Salon; and more.