Time to Register for FPSF's 2nd Adult Spelling Bee

Brush off your dictionaries!  It’s time to get ready for the Farmington Public School Foundation (FPSF) 2nd annual Adult Spelling Bee, on Friday, March 8, 2013, from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Hacker Theater Building on the campus of Miss Porter’s School in Farmington. This unique, community-wide event promises to “bee” bigger and better than last year!    

The evening includes a casual barbeque dinner by Flaggstead Smokehouse of Farmington, a silent auction, and the main event – the Adult Spelling Bee.  Dozens of teams will compete for the top prize – their names on the spelling bee trophy and bragging rights for the next year!

If you’re already breaking out into “hives” at the thought of stepping up to a microphone to spell your first word, fear not.  This spelling bee is a team effort and words are written on white boards – no solo spelling!  Each team of three will be given words to spell and will have a set amount of time to agree on the proper spelling, write it on their white board, and present it to the judges for review.

Teams are grouped into “swarms” and compete against each other.  The top teams will move through several rounds until one team prevails.  Breaking again from the traditional spelling bee format, teams that are “stuck” on a word will have the option to tag someone in the audience to replace them or they may use a “Lifeline” which allows them to pick one person from the audience to help during the spelling of one word.

Last year over 200 people attended the first Adult Spelling Bee and more than two dozen teams competed.  This year’s new venue, the Hacker Theatre Building on Miss Porter’s Campus, offers a larger space, better acoustics and plenty of parking. 

The 2012 event raised over $10,000 for FPSF, a non-profit organization that awards grants to Farmington Public Schools for innovative educational experiences.

Kathy Greider, Superintendent of Schools for Farmington, attended last year’s Spelling Bee and commented, "FPSF's support of Farmington Public Schools has enhanced educational experiences for our town's students.  Last year's FPSF Spelling Bee was a huge success and brought the community together to support educational innovation in Farmington.  It shows how important education is to Farmington community.  I am looking forward to a fun evening with our community and the 2013 Spelling Bee teams."

FPSF is looking for teams from the Farmington community to enter the Spelling Bee.  Businesses, civic groups, neighborhoods, schools, friends and more are invited to take part in this event.  The donation is $225 and includes admission and dinner for the three team members.  A portion of this donation is tax deductible. 

The FPSF 2nd annual Adult Spelling Bee is sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors and the REACH Foundation with continued support from Crazy Bruce’s Liquor.  A special thanks to Keiler of Farmington for their design and marketing services. 

General admission tickets are available for those interested in coming to watch the Bee.  The donation, which includes dinner, is $30 per person (adults only, 21 and over). 

Visit fpsfoundation.org for event details, to register a team, to purchase tickets, or to find out how your organization can become a sponsor.  For more information, email events@fpsfoundation.org. 

About the Farmington Public School Foundation

The Farmington Public School Foundation, an independent, Section 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides funds for programs and projects that excite & engage students, empower the creativity of teachers and support the goals and mission of the Farmington Public School System. The Foundation adheres to its vision and mission by providing grants to educational programs that provide our students with strategic and forward-thinking capabilities throughout all grade levels (K-12) within the Farmington Public School System.  FPSF has donated approximately $95,000 to the Farmington Public School system for innovative programs such as Farmington High School’s robotic program, Enhancement of West Woods Upper Elementary School’s News Crew, and Noah Wallace Elementary School’s Science Fair.

Submitted by the Farmington Public School Foundation.