First Community was a hive of activity Wednesday morning, May 1, as competitors buzzed their way through the Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society’s (LASS) 8th Annual Spelling Bee.
A menagerie of spellers came out in colourful costumes to represent their teams, with 12 having registered, an increase over last year’s 10. Though the wordplay lineup included such obscure offerings as “onomatopoeia,” “pinniped” and “prosciutto,” it was “minuscule” that sent the Bee into a tie breaker after judges found it also has the alternate spelling of “miniscule,” putting teams back in the running.
In the end, the Bee Witched team reigned supreme for the seventh year, having only been bested once by the Silverquacks in 2016. Team Antidisestablishmentarianists came in second, while third place was a tie between the Newsroom Nerds and Family Centre Stingers.
“It was wonderful to see so many teams come out in support of literacy in our community,” spelling bee coordinator Terra Stephenson said in a media release. “A fun time was had by all, and although it was a close competition, our reigning champions pulled off another win. The venue at First Community was a wonderful place to gather, and we’re looking forward to next year’s event!”
This year’s spelling bee raised $12,300 for LASS programs, including the ONE TO ONE Children’s Literacy, Summer Slide Literacy, Valid Reading After School, Unplug & Play, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Cyber Seniors Computer Tutoring, Family Literacy Education and Spread the Word Community Book Exchange/Little Free Libraries.
To learn more about LASS, donate or volunteer see their website at www.shuswapliteracy.ca.
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