Adult Spelling Bee and Game Show Tickets on Sale Now!
The public is invited to the Newburyport Education Foundation’s (NEF) 6th Annual Adult Spelling Bee on Friday, April 9 at Nicholson Hall at 7 p.m. The costumes, the hilarity, and the good-natured competition among the spellers make this one of the NEF’s most popular and successful fundraisers for the Newburyport Public Schools. Organizers say this year will be even better because audience members will get to participate and win prizes.
“We’ve put a new spin on the event to get the audience into the fun more,” said Jenn Grinnings, NEF director and event organizer. “Plus, it’s a chance for adults to use firsthand one of the great technology tools the NEF has donated to the schools.”
Grinnings is referring to the hand-held “clickers” that have become a hit in Newburyport Public School classrooms with both teachers and students. NEF donated classroom sets of the clickers last year and teachers use them along with the smart boards to poll the classroom and assess learning. For students, it’s like an interactive t.v. game show and a lot of fun. At this year’s Bee, audience members will get to use the clickers between spelling rounds to answer trivia questions and win prizes.
“It’s a great way for the audience to play along at an already fun event,” says Grinnings. “Who doesn’t love a good trivia challenge?”
Over the past five years, the NEF Spelling Bee has raised more than $100,000 for the public schools. With a celebrity emcee and pronouncers including Mayor Donna Holaday and Jennifer Entwistle, a big crowd is expected and event planners hope even more money will be raised for the schools.
“We hope the community will join in the fun and come out to cheer on the teams,” said Grinnings. “And it is all for such a worthwhile cause: to help our schools and our children.”
More than 25 adult teams are gearing up to compete for the prestigious Eddy Trophy and the title of NEF Spelling Bee Champs. Favorite teams “The Aunt Bees,” “the Bee Lines,” “the Bee Sharps,” and the “Bee Flats” are returning along with many new teams. The teams include business members, parents, teachers, and community members representing the Brown School, Bresnahan Elementary, Nock Middle School, the Newburyport School Committee, the YWCA, the Newburyport Public Library, the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary, the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank, the Provident Bank, the Institution for Savings, Anna Jaques Hospital, the Newburyport Adult and Community Education, Chase and Lunt Insurance, Newburyport Dental Associates, Blatman Bobrowski and Mead LLC, and others.
For the third year, the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank is the lead sponsor for this event. The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank is a founding sponsor of the NEF and President Richie Eaton served as the NEF’s first Treasurer. Their Charitable Foundation has donated more than $100,000 to the NEF to support key enhancements to our schools.
The Spelling Bee will be held on Friday April 9 at Nicholson Hall, 7 Harris Street, Newburyport. Doors open at 6:30 and the Spelling Bee starts at 7 p.m. There will be light refreshments and a cash bar. Admission is $20 per person the night of the event or online at www.NewburyportEF.org. For more information or to reserve a table, call Jenn Grinnings at (978)979-0152 or Catarina Ferreira at (603)305-8492, or visitwww.NewburyportEF.org.
Proceeds from this event benefit the NEF’s 2008-2010 campaign in support of the Newburyport Public Schools. The campaign’s three main focus areas are: expanding course opportunities at the high school through the Virtual High School; Literacy Closets enhancing resources for the literacy program for grades K-8; and technology renewal and upgrades including a digital arts lab, high school science lab technology, equipment for science and math classes, a state-of-the-art music lab, and general technology upgrades.
For more information about the Spelling Bee or the NEF, visit www.NewburyportEF.org or call 978-463-7893.
About the Newburyport Education Foundation (NEF) The Mission of the Newburyport Education Foundation is to bring philanthropy into the Newburyport Public Schools and generate financial resources that will enhance the quality of public education throughout the school system. Formed to enhance educational opportunities for the city’s public school children, the goal of the Newburyport Education Foundation is to supplement funding for programs which are already supported by public financing at a basic level, but which can be substantially improved by additional private sector financing, and to finance programs that might not receive funding from traditional sources such as the district budget or state aid.
