WPPL Adult and Teen Spelling Bee Fundraiser Will Test Your Language Skills
The White Plains Library Foundation has scheduled the second annual Adult and Teen Spelling Bee for March 11 at the Highlands Middle School auditorium. There is room on the roster for more teams, so if you want to test your spelling skills, pull a team of three members together, create a name (and a theme if you want) and fill out the application on the Library website.
It’s all fun and the proceeds will go to support The Hub, White Plains Public Library’s new adult library on the ground floor. Last year’s Spelling Bee supported the Trove children’s library, which was renovated on the second floor.
Spelling Bee Committee members Beth Kava, co-chair of the event and Libby Hollahan met with The White Plains Examiner to talk about the “Bee.”
Last year there were 23 teams of three divided into swarms including several adult and teen teams. There were two rounds and in the end teens went up against the adults for the championship. Several teams came in costume such as the Gray Wizards who wore wizard robes, some came as “bees” and others wore matching T-shirts.
Both Hollahan and Kava worked to develop the Spelling Bee for WPPL after seeing a similar event at another local public library. They liked the idea and thought it would be good for White Plains. The rest of the WP Library Foundation agreed and now the event is on its way to becoming a White Plains tradition.
The fee for a team to join is $75 and the audience ticket is $5. Refreshments will be on sale during the event and there will be a raffle of exciting goods to help raise more money for the new library construction.
The first round allows team members to collaborate on the correct spelling of the selected word. The word is then printed on a dry erase board. This must be done within 30 seconds. The second round will begin when no more than four teams remain.
The second round will be verbal, no writing will be allowed. Team members can collaborate, but then only one team member must spell the word verbally within 30 seconds.
The Spelling Bee word list, held by Hollahan, contains several hundred words and will not include any words from the previous year.
The audience will be given sheets so they can silently spell along with the contestants.
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach will be this year’s Master of Ceremonies. The Hon. Jo Ann Fria, Brian Kenney, WPPL Director and Nicole Reis, White Plains High School English teacher, will act as judges.
Mayor Roach will read each word, read the definition and use the word in a sentence.
The final word that caught everyone off guard last year was “caisson.”
The Hub, which is expected to be completed in 2016, will provide an updated venue for reading, learning, Internet access, adult programs and classes, and the long-awaited café.
The Spelling Bee will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11 (snow date is Friday, March 18). Contestants are expected to check in between 6:45 and 7 p.m.
For more information or to get an application call 914-422-1495 or visit http://whiteplainslibrary.org.
