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It was no ordinary Tuesday afternoon at the Medfield High School Auditorium. Card tables crowded the stage, the halls were filled with wizards, Boston sports teams, various bees and other interesting characters.
The buzz of excitement was in the air, mixing in with the tantalizing aroma of pizza, baked goods, candy and snacks. T-shirts encouraging the students to “Release their Spelling Bee-sts” were worn by many participants and posters with the same message were seen outside the auditorium, all of which marked the 11th annual Spelling Bee, hosted by the Medfield Coalition for Public Education (MCPE).
The annual Spelling Bee is the main student-focused event that the MCPE hosts. Other events, such as the Trivia Night, held this past fall and the Fall Ball, coming in September, are focused on adult interaction and fundraising.
Two teams took home the top prize at the bee. The “Sled Dawgs” from the Dale Street School, made up of fifth graders Will Boland, Thomas Boland, and Kenny Manning, and the “Thuh Spelling Beez” from the Wheelock School, made up of third graders Kyle Hudson, Carl Kirchoff, and Carrigan Allenby.
The Spelling Bee has become a time honored-tradition attracting the participation of hundreds of Medfield students. This year 144 teams and almost 450 participants brought their enthusiasm, creativity and great sportsmanship to the day.
“The Coalition is privileged to have the enthusiastic support from staff and administrators as well as parent volunteers to run the Spelling Bee,” said Julie Cook, the MCPE board member who co-chaired this year’s Spelling Bee along with Jesse Reilly. “This year the Board worked diligently with teachers, administrators and parent volunteers to make this event a success” continued Cook.
“On behalf of the MCPE we’d like to thank everyone who helped to make this year’s Spelling Bee a fun and successful even,” Cook said.
Cook thanked several area businesses that helped out, including Papa Gino’s, Mangia and Wegmans, as well as the MCPE’s corporate sponsors and the Medfield community.
