Chamber Spelling Bee raises money for education
By Sam Atkins
Published in News on August 9, 2004 1:55 PM
Ebullient.
This word raised some eyebrows and caused some shrieks last year. It also separated the good spellers from the great.
Easy, intermediate and difficult words will test the spelling skills of business people during the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce's third-annual Corporate Spelling Bee.
The event helps raise money for education -- particularly for teacher mini-grants, teacher recruitment and the Junior Leadership Wayne County Program. This year's goal is to raise $10,000. Last year there were 10 teams that helped raise $6,700.
The event will be Aug. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at Goldsboro Country Club.
The "Daily Buzz" team sponsored by the Goldsboro News-Argus was victorious last year. It will have the chance to defend its title this year.
The competition consists of corporate teams working together to spell the words. There are three rounds, and the first round will be easy words. Teams will have 20 seconds to spell the word correctly and show it to the "Bee Keepers," also known as judges.
The second round will be intermediate words, and teams will have 25 seconds. The third round will be difficult words, and each team will have 30 seconds.
During each round, the "emBee" will pronounce the word, give the definition and use the word in a sentence. If the team cannot spell the word correctly, it can buy the word from the judges.
There will be a "Vanna Bee," who will place the words on an overhead projector for all to see. There will also be a "Queen Bee," or chairman, of the event. These two positions have not been filled.
The "Killer Bee" will be L.J. Stanley, and he will pop the teams' balloons when they are officially out of the contest.
There are four teams signed up so far. The goal is to have 15 teams, said Julie Odom with the Wayne County Partnership for Children. So far, Frema Motors and the Goldsboro News-Argus are sponsoring a team, and Goldsboro Peds and Cooper-Standard are planning on sponsoring a school, she said.
The corporate sponsor of this year's event is Progress Energy in conjunction with the Wayne Charitable Partnership.
Awards will also be given for best team spirit, best costume and the best table decor or mascot.
It costs $250 to sponsor a team. For more information, call Patty Graham at 734-2234 or visit the chamber at 308 N. William St. in Goldsboro.