Spelling Bee Turnout was G-R-E-A-T

Only one word can be used to describe the inaugural spelling bee hosted by the East Greenwich Education Foundation on Sunday, and it’s spelled S-U-C-C-E-S-S.

A crowd of about 400 people packed the East Greenwich High School Gym to attend the first annual Spelling Bee hosted by the East Greenwich Foundation to watch students, parents, faculty and members of the police and fire departments square off in six rounds of competition.

The event exceeded fundraising goals and Team Eclipse from Archie R. Cole Middle School won the day in a final speed round against the EGHS Parent Teacher Group.

Below is a release from the foundation:

A standing room only crowd of more than 400 attended the first annual Spelling Bee hosted by the East Greenwich Education Foundation on Sunday, November 8, 2015 in the East Greenwich High School gymnasium. Participants included students from the elementary, middle, and high schools, parent volunteers; faculty members; and teams from the police and fire departments, Town Council and School Committee. Through sponsorships, raffle ticket sales, and donations; the EGEF exceeded its fundraising goals for the event. Funds raised by EGEF support its mission of providing grants to teachers to fund creative, innovative and sustainable initiatives in the classroom. Team Eclipse from Blue Ribbon Archie R. Cole Middle School -- Kavana Girish, Sunny Sait, and Elizabeth Stitt -- won the day in a final speed round against members of the EGHS Parent Teacher Group -- Alissa Berman, Lori McEwen, and Marisa Salvadore.

In the six preliminary rounds, six teams of three spelled several words on white boards, with the team that spelled the most words correctly advancing to the finals. Other preliminary round winners included Eldredge 1 (students from James H. Eldredge Elementary School Reagan Coats, Lily Riley, and Lily Shaughnessy), Lightning (6th grade students from Cole—Gigi Giuliano, Nick Paskalis, and Salom Jain), Eldredge Faculty (Peggy Chance, Robbi Mernick, and Sue Rouse), and East Greenwich Police 1 (Erin Blackman, Deb Gregory, and Holly Zenga). Those teams advanced to the finals, which ended in a tie between the Eclipse and PTG teams. Eclipse won in a speed round, correctly spelling the word “Weimaraner.” Miss Rhode Island Outstanding Teen 2015, Catarina Girardi, handed out awards to the finalists and winners.

The afternoon began with a welcome from EGEF President Rebecca Bliss and School Superintendent Victor Mercurio. The Cole Middle School Chorus led the crowd in The Star Spangled Banner. The “Spell Casters,” also from Cole, won the award for best team name. Between spelling rounds, Master of Ceremonies and State Representative Anthony Giarrusso quizzed the audience on East Greenwich and Rhode Island trivia. In addition, more than 20 items donated by generous local business were up for raffle.

Julie D’Amico, Helen DePasquale, Elizabeth McNamara, Adam Scott, and Janice Varone pronounced the words for the preliminary rounds and Representative Giarrusso did so for the finals. Judges Sean Barron, Bob Brooks, Anthony Hollingsworth, Allison Johnson, Officer “Bert” Montalban, and Lisa Purcell determined whether the teams spelled each word correctly and the final score.

The audience enjoyed food provided by Dunkin Donuts – Batista Amaral Group, Four Brothers Pizzaria & Restaurant, Showcase Cinemas, Silver Spoon Bakery, and Wild Harvest Bakery, Café & Catering. Busy Bee Florists, Crestar, and Spot Design provided in kind donations that helped set the stage for the event.

The wide variety of raffle prizes included gift certificates or products from Ava Anderson, Bernard Photography, Besos, Chianti’s, Dante’s Kitchen, David-Max, Hasbro, Main Street Coffee, Massage Envy, Mod Mama, Joyce Neville, Noro Salon, Providence College basketball, Pilates West Bay, Raw Bob’s, Richards Pub & Restaurant, Ritrovo Pub & Grille, Scout Bags, Sweet Twist, The Savory Grape, T’s Restaurant, and Younique.

Queen Bee level sponsors included the Hill Harbor Group and RE/MAX Professionals, Ocean State Laser & Aesthetics, and Tarbox Toyota & Tarbox Hyundai. Bumble Bee level sponsors were Dr. Tracie DelSesto, PT, MBA of Beyond Basics Rehabilitation; Tom Chea of Northeast Fit Light Training; Christopher A. Pedorella, D.M.D.; The Savory Grape; and Webster Bank. Worker Bee level sponsors included Susan Pagliarini of Atlantic Home Loans, Coleman Realtors, Crestar Picture Framing, Dave’s Marketplace, the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, the East Greenwich Soccer Association, RE/MAX Professionals, Therese Vezeridis of Residential Realtors, Greg Dantas of RI Real Estate Services, Sean Todd, and Williams & Stuart Real Estate.

Photos courtesy: Karen Bernard