Annual Adult Spelling Bee fun for contestants, aid to teachers

The team representing St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, winner of the 2019 Lenoir County Education Foundation Adult Spelling Bee held Thursday, are, from left, Heather Wentz, Lee Albritton, Vicki Kennedy (kneeling) and Kathy Hyler. Submitted photo.

A sarrusophone is a wind instrument resembling an oboe but made of brass.

“Sarrusophone” is also the word that heralded the end of the 2019 Adult Spelling Bee, a fundraiser held Thursday at King’s Restaurant by the Lenoir County Education Foundation to support its teacher mini-grant program.

Finishing second in the Adult Spelling Bee, the team from Kinston High School was, from left, Johnny Lewis, Tamara Brown, Felicia Lynch and Joshua Bridges.

After two hours and 30 words, ranging from easy to ridiculously difficult, the team representing St. Mary’s Episcopal Church emerged as the champion. The team – Vicki Kennedy, Kathy Hyler, Lee Albritton and Heather Wentz – donated its $300 winnings to Northwest Elementary School.

The team from Kinston High School – Johnny Lewis, Tamara Brown, Felicia Lynch and Joshua Bridges – placed second, winning $200. Both St. Mary’s and KHS missed “sarrusophone” and final results were decided on the basis of previously missed words. 

A rule unique to the Adult Spelling Bee allows teams to buy their way out of a spelling error with a $20 contribution to the Education Foundation.

The team from Lenoir Community College tied for third place in the Adult Spelling Bee and also won the Spirit Award. Spellers are, from left, Sterling Cullipher, Ginny Pollock-Moody, Dominique Marshall and Jarrett Whelan.

In a tie for third place, the teams from Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School and Lenoir Community College went out on the same word and had the same number of previously missed words. Each team was awarded the $100 third-place prize. LCC’s team also won the Spirit Award.

Spelling for CSS were Wes Hazelgrove, Mary Riddick, Michael Moon and Kate Williams. LCC spellers were Sterling Cullipher, Ginny Pollock-Moody, Dominique Marshall and Jarrett Whelan.

The Adult Spelling Bee is the Education Foundation’s second-largest fundraiser behind its annual golf tournament. Together, the two events raise thousands of dollars to be distributed as mini-grants to Lenoir County Public School teachers. In 2018, the program distributed 41 grants valued at $17,745 to teachers at 12 schools.