NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Education Foundation is seeking speller teams and sponsors for its annual spelling bee fundraiser on Oct. 22. Funds raised by the event support the Small Grants for Educators program which provides different activities and special learning opportunities for Northampton students.
“Since we’ve just started soliciting sponsors, we only have about 25% of the participation we need,” said Megan Zinn, NEF board member and the event’s lead organizer, also known as the Queen Bee. “That’s usually where we are at this point in the process, but it also means there is plenty of room for people in the community to register to sponsor a team or to form a team.”
Zinn encourages people to perhaps step outside of their comfort zones a bit by forming teams to compete in the spelling bee which has become a community event since it began 22 years ago.
“So many people step up to sponsor, compete on teams or volunteer,” noted Zinn. “And they really get into the spirit of the competition, with hilarious team names and great costumes. I always tell people not to be afraid to participate in the bee. Teams write their answers on whiteboards — no one has to stand at a microphone and spell the words as they do at classic spelling bees. No one remembers who can and cannot spell well. It’s just a lot of fun.”
The event is also looking for businesses, organizations and community members to sponsor teams for $300 each. If someone would like to sponsor a team but doesn’t know of one, or a team needs a sponsor, then NEF will connect the two.
In the past year, the NEF Small Grants for Educators program has funded a course on 3D Mapping at Smith Voke, a college field trip for Northampton High School students who have historically had less access to college, a coding course at JFK Middle School, an elementary school field trip to a Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra concert and a program to help elementary school families support their students’ math and reading skills. The reach of the evening extends far beyond the bragging rights for whoever wins.
For those who don’t want to participate but would like to attend, free tickets are required. NEF is also looking for event volunteers and who would like to be more involved with the group.
The Spelling Bee will be hosted Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity, located at 130 Pine St. in Florence. Sponsors and teams can register on NEF’s website at northamptoneducation.org/spelling-bee-registration.
