The Demogorgons of the Dictionary, Word Warriors, Cheeky Parrots, and other wittily named teams will gather on Feb. 7 at Chenery Upper Elementary School for a fun day of challenging themselves at the 30th Foundation for Belmont Education (FBE) Spelling Bee.
“You would be amazed about how good these spellers are – it’s mind-boggling,” said Holly Javedan, secretary for the nonprofit group.
In modern times, everyone seems to rely on spellcheck and there are very few children who will reach for the Merriam-Webster dictionary to look up words. In spite of those challenges, the Belmont bee’s popularity has continued to grow over the years.
The event began as an adults-only evening competition and fundraiser in 1995. The first kids-only daytime bee took place in 2004 with 381 children participating, according to Javedan. By 2019, there were 763 children joining in, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no bee in 2020. Once it restarted the following year, participation remained steady or increased.
Organizers think one reason youngsters look forward to the bee is its welcoming, celebratory atmosphere. The participants, who are in kindergarten through sixth grade, often dress in costume to reflect their funny team names.
“It’s not about the competition,” said Elissa Grad, who co-chaired the first few years of the bee.
In fact, the majority of the teams enter to challenge themselves in the art of spelling. Only fifth- and sixth-graders compete for prizes.
Although each year the event raises between $16,000 and $20,000 from entry fees (with financial aid available) and sponsors, organizers said the daylong gathering is more of a “friends-raiser” to foster connections.
“It was all done to make it fun and to bring the community together,” said Grad.
The money raised is donated to the Belmont schools.
The ABCS
When the bee started, about 100 kids participated in the competitive portion, Grad said.
According to Javedan, this year there will be almost 700 participants total, which translates into 182 teams. Of the 700 children, 186 (or 53 teams) will vie for prizes in the competitive bee.
The vocabulary words “are age-appropriate and educationally necessary,” said Javedan. FBE chooses the words with “the guidance and direction of the English Language and Reading director of the Belmont Public Schools,” she said. Organizers read the definition of each word to the kids before each team decides on the correct spelling.
Children in kindergarten through fourth grade make up the largest percentage of the entrants, with the competitive fifth- and sixth-graders vying for some impressive prizes, although nobody leaves empty-handed. All children receive a bag of candy from Chocolate Dream and a commemorative pencil.
“We want to make it exciting and something special for the kids,” said Javedan.
The third-place prizes (one for each member of the team) are $10 gift certificates to Moozy’s Ice Cream and second-place team members receive $25 Belmont Books gift cards. Each person on the first-place team receives a large trophy and a $100 Visa gift card.
The 30th FBE Spelling Bee for children in kindergarten through sixth grade will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7, starting at 10 a.m. at Chenery Upper Elementary School, 95 Washington St. For more information, visit fbebelmont.org/spelling-bee
