Literacy Council’s 28th Annual Spelling Bee, Beauty and the Bee, was an incredible success! We set a goal to raise $7,000 to help us to continue to provide free literacy tutoring and resources to children and adults in our community, with actual fundraising exceeding $11,000. This is an all-time record for our spelling bee events — way to go everyone!
This year’s crowned champions, Soomo Learning’s Spelling Beasts
First runner up went to team Extended Metaphors
Second runner up went to team SpellCheckYourselfBeforeYouWreckYourself
Best team costume awarded to The Queen Bees
The intense (and hilarious) competition finally found a winner after four or five (we lost count) championship spell-off rounds, with Soomo Learning’s Spelling Beasts crowned as the victors!
See the action on WLOS!
First Prize Winner The Spelling Beasts won four tickets to see David Sedaris live at the US Cellular Center on April 14.
First Runner Up Extended Metaphors won three fun passes to Nantahala Outdoor Center and travel coffee mugs from The 828 Asheville Radio Group.
Second Runner Up SpellCheckYourselfBeforeYouWreckYourself received a Hi-Wire Brewing group tour for up to 20 people.
Best Team Costume awarded to The Queen Bees received gift certificates to Mr. K’s Used Books, Music and More.
Highest Fundraiser Spellbound by Food received three Spirit Airlines tickets.
Second Highest Fundraiser The Queen Bees received a 10-visit pass to the JCC Aquatic Center.
A huge thank-you to all the teams who competed this year: Bees’ Knees (Janet Jennings & friends); Bees Louise (Buncombe Partnership for Children); Extended Metaphors (Flatiron Writer’s Room & Gold Leaf Literary Agency); The Southern Spelles (Malaprop’s Bookstore and Cafe); SpellBinders (ESOL tutor team); Spellbound by Food (Chestnut/Corner Kitchen/Chupacabra Latin Cafe); SpellCheckYourselfBeforeYouWreckYourself (Ben Fehsenfeld & friends); Spelling Beasts (Soomo Learning); Team Chai Pani (Chai Pani Restaurant); The Queen Bees (Adult Education tutor team); Those Who Spelt It Dealt It (Hobbit Hawes & friends); Word Buzzards (John Huie & friends)
Thank you to our wonderful emcee David Ostergaard; judges Peter Elgie, Robin Corden Payne, Tom Chalmers, and Emily Spies; and pronouncer Ken from the Mix 96.5 Afternoon Drive!
A big warm hug and thank-you to our in-kind donors: The Mothlight; Mellow Mushroom; Blue Moon Water; Cecilia’s Kitchen; Black Mountain Brewing; Grace Baptist West Asheville
