Spelling Bee Fills the Hive

On Friday January 23 nearly sixty of Scarsdale's most competitive spellers took to the stage at the Fifth Annual Friends of Scarsdale Library Adult and Teen Spelling Bee. The high school auditorium was a'buzz with excitement as a crowd of 350 gathered to cheer on families, friends and neighbors.

Ed Coleman, the voice of the New York Mets and emcee of the event, announced each spelling word along with its meaning. Then he used the word in a sentence. The three members of each team were allowed to confer among themselves and were then required to write their team's answer on a board for the judges to evaluate. The adults, teens and children in the audience were given pen and paper with which to test their own spelling prowess along with the twenty competing teams.

Spelling words in the first rounds included "knack", "ragout", "stationery" and "macerate". As the contest continued, the words became increasingly challenging. By the end of the first round, The Library Trustbees advanced by correctly spelling "axil" (think botany). The Presbeeterians moved up with "ferrule"(a fastener). "Fuchsia" (the color and plant) took the New Bees to the next level and the Let it Bee team made it to the Championship Round with "fennec" (a small, desert fox.)

During breaks between rounds Spelling Bee hosts wandered the aisles with microphones, proffering trivia questions and choosing among waving hands of all ages.

"Whose faces are on Mount Rushmore?"

"What does each character seek from the Wizard of Oz?"

"Who can name the next number in the following Fibonacci series: 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,__?" (*see below for the answer)

Correct answers were rewarded with "Book Bucks," redeemable at the September, 2015 library book sale.

By the championship round twenty teams were winnowed down to four. As the difficulty level of the words rose, so did the complexity of the rules. For this round each team was required to send only one of its members to the microphone, and that member was required to orally spell the word within 30 seconds.

A hush fell over the audience as the as the emcee clearly articulated the first word... "melee." The speller left the team's table, walked alone to the microphone at the front of the stage and spelled, "M" "E" "L" "E" "E."
"That is correct!" the judges ruled, to cheering and clapping.

Judging the spelling bee were NY State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Library Director Beth Bermel, and Margaret Smith, a member of the Spelling Bee Committee.

The next two teams made it through with correct spellings of "knout" and "crèche." But "roux" knocked out the Let it Bee (Maura Dooley and Ben Moseley), leaving three teams in the running.

The next series of queries included "karaoke," "croissant," "masseuse," "renaissance," "repertoire," and finally "bouillon," which eliminated the Presbeeterians (Heather Gilchriest Meili, Stephan Meili and Katharine Miao.)

With only two teams remaining, the crowd was sitting on the edge of their seats. The New Bees team included Simon Landless, Judy McEvoy and Kevin McEvoy. The Library Trustbees boasted a heavy hitting lineup, with Scarsdale Library Board President Michelle Lichtenberg and two two-time Bee winners, Barbara Josselsohn and Terri Simon who is the Vice President of the Scarsdale Library Board.

They all were prepared to spell and spell they did.

"Cenotaph...ennui...guillotine...hemorrhage...inveigle...métier." Each spelled the words flawlessly.

Ed Coleman's professional voice resonated with the next word for the New Bees. Simon Landless confidently walked to the mike and spelled it. "M" "Y" "R" "R" "H." "Incorrect," came the ruling from judges' table. The crowd gasped. All eyes in the audience looked upward. The correct spelling of each word was projected on a screen over the stage such that the audience could see the word, but the contestants could not. On the screen was printed, "Myrrhh." The judges read that spelling out loud. Simon graciously said that he was sure that the word was spelled otherwise, as he had stated, "M" "Y" "R" "R" "H." The judges agreed to double check and went into a flurry of typing onto a laptop. Everyone looked around, waiting for the answer, but nothing was forthcoming. "There is no wifi in here" one man reminded everyone. "Someone should take their phone outside", suggested another viewer. After several suspenseful minutes a boy came running down the aisle to the judges with a cellphone presumably showing the correct spelling of the word. The judges looked at the screen, acknowledged their error, and reinstated the New Bees to clapping from the crowd.

The words kept coming and the spellers kept spelling. "wildebeest...zeitgeist... pirouette...omniscience." West Wing fans may have had a leg up in the spelling "shibboleth."

In Round Ten the New Bees were asked to spell "apotropaic," (designed to ward off evil) and after a heroic run, finally foundered. The suspense continued, however, because in order to win, the Library Trustbees still had to spell their word correctly. Ed announced the word, "baccalaureate." A hush came over the crowd as Terri Simon walked up to the mike... and spelled the word perfectly. Cheers and applause erupted! The Library Trustbees had won the Bee.

All teams are to be congratulated on stepping up to the plate for a multigenerational community event that celebrates reading. The three hometown education experts comprising the Newbees for Ee team took the biggest risk and likely brought in the most fans. Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Scarsdale's new Superintendent, Mr. David Wixted, Scarsdale Teachers Association President, and Mr. Chris Morin, Board of Education Trustee filled this roster. (For those who are curious, the Newbees for Ee were eliminated when they misspelled the word "colloquy.") Proceeds of this very successful Bee will be used to fund a high-level speaker series at the Scarsdale Library.

Kudos to the Co-Chairs Renu Lalwani and Carolyn Mehta and the entire Spelling Bee Committee who provided a fun, festive and educational evening for all. Carolyn Mehta shared her idea for a new motto for Scarsdale, "Come for the schools, stay for the library!" She also divulged that, "no words were underinflated for the Bee", referring to the recent football scandal.

(*The answer to the Fibonacci question is 55)