Superintendent Thomas Hagerman to Compete in Spelling Bee

Mark your calendar for Friday, January 23 at 7:30pm, when people of all ages will swarm to the Scarsdale High School auditorium for the fifth annual Friends of the Scarsdale Library Adult and Teen Spelling Bee. Veteran teams will compete against novices, adults will compete against teens, and library trustees will compete against patrons.  In a new acme of town-gown relations, a team consisting of schools Superintendent, Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Board of Education trustee Chris Morin, and Scarsdale Teachers Association President David Wixted will also compete in support of the library.

The fun starts when the doors open at 7:00pm. Silent auction items include an eight-week TestTakers SAT prep course valued at $2195, and a Painter for a Day, donated by A.G. Williams Painting Company, Inc., and valued at $600.  Raffle prizes include fitness classes at FlyWheel, I Train with Juan, FlyBarre, and Pole Position Dance and Fitness, baskets of children’s games, a spa basket, a wool Indian Kashmiri shawl, and more. Raffle tickets can also be purchased at the Library on Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11 from 12-4pm. Ticket holders need not be present to win.

Admission to the Spelling Bee is $5, and refreshments will be available for purchase.  Audience members will be entertained by trivia quizzes served up between rounds. Ed Coleman, the voice of the New York Mets, will once again play emcee. Judges include NYS Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, and Spelling Bee committee member Margaret Smith.

Proceeds from the 2014 Spelling Bee will be used to fund a high-level speaker series, bringing quality programming to Scarsdale and making the library the intellectual hub of the community.

The Friends are grateful for the generous support received from the sponsors of the Spelling Bee.  To date, sponsors at the Diamond Level are Mercedes-Benz of White Plains, and Sara and Richard Werder.  At the Gold Level, sponsors are Houlihan Lawrence, Drs. Renu and Anil Lalwani, Linda and Jonathan Flaxer, and Margaret and Larry Smith. Those who are interested in sponsoring the Bee by making a donation of $250 or more should contact Renu Lalwani at 917-584-8834 or renublalwani@gmail.com, or Carolyn Mehta at 914-584-5903 or kamncar2@aol.com.  In addition, anyone can become a "Friend of the Bee" by making a donation of any amount.  A donation form is available at the Library’s website, scarsdalelibrary.org.