By Chad Klassen

Team Spelling Bee raises money for literacy programs in Kamloops

May 10, 2018 | 4:46 PM

KAMLOOPS — A room full of brainiacs tested their vocabulary and spelling skills this morning at the seventh annual Team Spelling Bee to raise money for a pair of literacy groups in Kamloops. 

The event was hosted by Mel Rothenburger at the Hotel 540 on Thursday morning with judges Susan Edgell and Bill O’Donovan from CFJC Today, as well Dylana Milobar. Fourteen teams of eight people were tested with three rounds of five words, trying to be crowded this year’s spelling bee champions. The TRU Spellcats won the competition. 

“It really is a fun event. People kind of freak out when they’re told it’s a spelling bee because they’re like ‘oh gosh, I’m not good at spelling,’ and they think they have to stand up and spell by themselves,” says Literacy Outreach Coordinator with Literacy in Kamloops (LinK) Fiona Clare. “But it’s a team event, and so we really promote it as a team-building event.”

Each team donates $1,000 to help kick off the ‘Raise A Reader’ campaign, the largest fundraiser of the year. The funds go towards the Kamloops Early Language and Literacy Initiative (KELLI) and LinK, which critical reading and educational programs in the city.

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“These are programs that support ages,” notes Clare. “So right from the Mother Goose programs where it’s moms and dads come in with their babies, up to five years olds. Then you also have programs for school-aged children, so they can really be successful at reading and be life-long readers.”