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About The Bee |
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The Buzz on the Bee
The Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee, the first corporate bee in Canada, was launched in Kingston in 1994. Teams of three adults (may) dress up as their favourite characters and participate in a traditional and exciting spelling bee, in support of Kingston Literacy.
In addition to their team entry fee ($325) team members collect pledges.
At the end of the evening, team prizes are awarded for Best Spellers, Most Team Spirit, Most Team Pledges and Best Costumes.
New this year, individuals not on a team may collect pledges. Those individuals who collect $100 or more will receive a free ticket (which includes dinner) to the Bee!
Also new this year, a prize for Most Individual Pledges will be awarded to the individual (whether on a team or not) who raises the most pledges.
There is also an exciting Silent Auction.
How to Bee Involved |
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1. Sponsorship: (See Become a Sponsor for more details). Platinum: $2,000 Gold: $1,000 Silver: $750 Two Teams: $600 One Team: $325 Supporter: $100 2. Donations: Donate prizes for our winning teams or items for our Silent Auction
Silent
Auction Registration Form 3. Participation:
· Enter
your team (registration is $325 and includes dinner for all 3 team
members).
· If
you don’t want to be on a team, or can’t attend the Bee, collect pledges
as an individual. People who collect $100 or more attend the Bee for free. · Come to cheer the teams on! Advance tickets are $35 each and include dinner. |
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Some Bee History
In 1994, Kingston Literacy held its first Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee. With an eight-member committee, chaired by Rhonda Taylor (who came up with the original concept) and sponsored by Olsten Staffing Services, Kingston Literacy’s most consistently successful fundraising event was launched! That first year, we raised $9,000, and have not looked back!
Over the years, we have been very fortunate to have incredible people take on the role of Honorary Chair, Master of Ceremonies, Master Pronouncer and Judges. This year we are excited to welcome new Honorary Chair, Jacquie Costron, Regional Director for Investors Group, as well as new judge, Chief Stephen Tanner of the Kingston Police. We also warmly welcome back Jim Elyot as our Master of Ceremonies, Craig Walker as our Master Pronouncer and Judges Rob Mooy and Lisa Ray. For more information on these folks, please see Who’s in the Hive.
Throughout the years, different elements have been added to the Bee, including a silent auction and various ways teams may re-enter the Bee after mis-spelling a word. Currently, the use of the Mulligan (purchased for $25 and used immediately after mis-spelling a word) has been a popular way for teams to receive a second chance.
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Fun Bee Facts
· Until 2006, we jokingly called the person who announced the spelling words “The Mispronouncer.” However, in 2007 we changed that to “Master Pronouncer,” in recognition of the fact that the person in this role had to be sure that teams clearly understood what word they were being asked to spell.
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· In our 16-year history, the team with the most awards (of different types of course) goes to the Kingston Frontenac Public Library with six and a half, (they tied for Best Spellers in 1995). Two teams are tied with six awards each: the Wellington Foreign Exchange and TD Canada Trust. Empire Life has won five awards at the Bee.
· Bergeron Clifford, TD Canada Trust and The Wellington Foreign Exchange have all won two awards in one year. In 2009 Bergeron Clifford won for Best Spellers and Most Pledges Raised; in 2006 TD Canada Trust won for Best Costumes and Most Pledges Raised; and in 2005 The Wellington Foreign Exchange won for Best Spellers and Most Pledges Raised.
· Three of the teams in our Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee have been with us since the very beginning: TD Bank, Empire Financial and the Kingston Frontenac Public Library. The teams from Ongwanada and Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little and Bonham have been in the Bee since 1996, and James Reid Funeral Home since 1998!
· On average, it takes our word wizards about 100 hours to collect and format enough words for one Bee.
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A History of Winners |
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Bee Links
Kingston Literacy Websites: Main Site: www.kingstonliteracy.com Centre for Expertise in Family Literacy: www.familyliteracyexpertise.org Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC): www.linckingston.ca
Websites for Other Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bees: Georgina Public Library: www.georginaspellingbee.com
Literacy North Halton: www.grategroanup.com
CanWest Canspell (National Canadian Kids’ Spelling Bee): www.canada.com/national/features/canspell/index.html
Spelling Bee of Canada:
Scripps National Spelling Bee (National US Kids’ Spelling Bee):
Bee Movies: Spellbound: www.spellboundmovie.com/index.php Akeela and the Bee: www.akeelahandthebee.com The Bee Movie: www.beemovie.com The Swarm: www.imdb.com/title/tt0078350
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