Sponsored by The Pilot, this one is a “Spelling Bee for Literacy.” Vying for the coveted Best Spellers Trophy will be a dozen or more teams from local businesses and the community at large.
The Spelling Bee for Literacy, benefitting the Moore County Literacy Council, had its beginnings in a meeting last fall when Connie Landis, executive director of the Council, brought to David Woronoff a plan to expand the Council’s “Need to Read” campaign. He had the reputation of being concerned about the 22 percent illiteracy figure that a National Adult Literacy survey had assigned to Moore County adults and had been the driving force behind The Pilot’s 2003 Chili Cook-Off competition that netted over $14,000 for the Literacy Council.
“Whether it’s sponsoring the Chili Cook-Off or this Spelling Bee, we’re always looking for ways to improve our community’s literacy rates,” says Woronoff. “The Literacy Council has such a noble purpose and is a well-run non-profit. We’re delighted they asked us to be involved in such a prominent manner.”
On the panel of distinguished judges for the evening are Linda Hubbard, volunteer coordinator for Moore County Schools, Gerald Galloway, Southern Pines Chief of Police, and Dr. Susan Purser, Superintendent of Moore County Schools. The Queen Bee, who has selected the words to be spelled is Donna Stephan, chairman of the Moore County Literacy Council.
Three-person teams, representing businesses and local groups, as diverse as Muirfield Broadcasting, First Health of the Carolinas and Prudential Gouger, O’Neal & Saunders will be joined by the Adorable Book Bags, a 17-member Pinehurst Book Club, and the Golf Capital Chorus, each having paid a $500 entry fee to participate. The Moore County Literacy Council’s critical work of teaching non-readers to comprehend the written word is the direct beneficiary of all the teams’ entry fees.
As preparations got underway at the Literacy Council for the Spelling Bee, the planning committee chaired by Nita Brunner, and composed of Sarah O’Brien and Darlene Stark, were interested to learn that a similar event has been put on by Wake County’s Literacy Council for the past five years. A consultation with the Wake County Council provided some good advice about the general rules for the competition.
One of the rules that highlights the local cheerful competition calls for a pre-event opportunity for the teams to purchase a SpellAgain voucher for $20 — sort of like a “spelling Mulligan,” for those golfers in the crowd — to be used in case they misspell a word. Other lighthearted touches to the contest will be the awarding of a Most Team Spirit prize, and the Best Team Costumes Award, which will go to the team with the most original, elaborate or memorable outfits.
Dan Landis, the marketing director, and organizer of the St. Joseph of the Pines–Belle Meade team, says his team is planning on winning the costume award. He, of course, won’t describe the attire the team members will wear, other than to slyly comment that “perhaps we are using memories of elementary school as a theme.”
In a more serious vein, Landis remarks that the contestants in the group are made up of two residents and one staff member, and that they see it as a way to help the community and lend support for the cause of literacy.
“We have had several Belle Meade residents who have tutored at the Literacy Council in the past, and think the Spelling Bee is a fun way to show encouragement for the work of the Council,” she says.
According to Jim Turner of Assured Financial Mortgage, Inc, one of the first teams to commit to the Spelling Bee for Literacy, it is a fantastic way to draw attention to the fact that one-fifth of Moore County residents have some measure of difficulty reading, writing and calculating figures.
“We need to bring the problem to the forefront and help solve it, if we are going to continue to grow as a community,” he says.
The list of teams is headed by one from The Pilot, with Steve Bouser, Locke Bowman and Faye Dasen serving as members.
The one from Sandhills Community College claims college president John Dempsey as its team captain, and the Spellbinders are just three good friends who were enthusiastic about the worthwhile nature of the cause, and decided to enter.
It should be noted that the team from the Golf Capital Chorus jokes that it is “one quart low” since only three-quarters of a barbershop quartet was allowed to enter.
The Adorable Book Bags haven’t yet made a final decision on which three of the 17 members will represent the book club.
However, spokesperson Sheila Van Dyke says that three of the club members have been involved in a “Together Read” program at the Literacy Council, and their enthusiasm for the Spelling Bee is shared by the entire membership.
Other teams include Pinehurst Resort, First Bank, “The Spell Binders,” and Mary Contrary Shop in Southern Pines.
The Spelling Bee for Literacy will take place on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines. Admission to the event is free, although donations to the Moore County Literacy Council are welcome, and are encouraged.
Mary Elle Hunter is a Pinehurst freelance writer.
