Each spring, the Brookline Education Foundation Adult Spelling Bee brings our diverse community together for a wonderful fundraising event. Businesses, PTOs, neighborhood and community groups, town and public safety organizations, all sponsor teams of three spellers. Distinguished judges and pronouncers, prizes contributed by local businesses, and a diabolical selection of words, all contribute to the festivities. Competition is intense to win the coveted Bee trophy as well as the prize for best costume.

This year's Adult Spelling Bee will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2010, from 2 to 6 pm in the Brookline High School Auditorium, 115 Greenough Street. Many Adult Bee teams are sponsored by local businesses and community organizations, so, if you would like to spell in the Bee, please contact us.

The annual Brookline Education Foundation Children's Spelling Bee immediately precedes the Adult Bee. Details about the Children's Bee will be mailed to the homes of Brookline Public School 5th grade students at the end of January.

If you are unable to join us, you can view the Bees in the comfort of your own home. Broadcasts and rebroadcasts of the Bee are presented and produced exclusively by Brookline Access TV and carried on Access Channel (Comcast 3 / RCN 3) and Municipal Channel (Comcast 23 / RCN 15). The Children's Bee will be rebroadcast on March 17 at 4pm, March 19 at 10 am, and on March 21 at 12pm. The Adult Bee will be broadcast live and rebroadcast on March 17 at 6pm, March 19 at 12 pm, and on March 21 at 2pm.

Sheine Wizel, Tom Gutheil, and Leslie Warner, representing the Coolidge Corner Community Chorus, won first prize in the 2009 Adult Bee.

Toni Oberholzer, Lisa Frost, and Sue Senator, "The B- 52s," won the prize for best costume.

The winning team in the 2009 Adult Bee was the Coolidge Corner Community Chorus. Team members were Tom Gutheil, Sheine Wizel, and Leslie Warner. The winning word was "phrontistery," which is a place for thinking or study.

Winners of the "Best Costume" prize were Lisa Frost, Toni Oberholzer, and Sue Senator, representing the "B 52s."

How does the Adult Spelling Bee work?

Teams of three adults compete against each other in "swarms" of up to eight teams. There are eight swarms in the Bee. The winner of each swarm will then compete in the Championship Swarm. For details, see the Brookline Education Foundation Spelling Bee Rules, Team Procedures, and Instructions for Pronouncers and Judges.

Prizes are awarded to the members of the overall winning team, the runner-up team, and the team wearing the most creative costumes.

How do I sign up for the Adult Spelling Bee?

Teams can be sponsored by individuals, groups, and businesses. Sponsors can pull together their own team members or sponsor another group of individuals, such as police, fire officials, reading groups, neighborhood or school groups, or clergy. All teams and sponsors are listed in the program. The entry fee for each team is $300, which is tax deductible.

To sign up, print and send an Adult Team Entry Form or a Sponsor Form along with a made check payable to the Brookline Education Foundation, P.O. Box 470652, Brookline, MA 02447.

The winner of the 2009 Fifth Grade Spelling Bee, Aditya Mahadevan (center), is flanked by second place winners, Sam Klein (left), and Edmund Geschickter.

Photo by Jean Stringham

The first prize in the 2009 Fifth Grade Spelling Bee went to Runkle School student Aditya Mahadevan, who correctly spelled the word "droll" to win. Two students tied for second place: Edmund Geschickter, from Lincoln School, and Sam Klein, from Baker School.

The Brookline Education Foundation invites your fifth-grade child to participate in its annual Children’s Spelling Bee. Details about the Bee are mailed to the homes of 5th grade students in the Brookline Public Schools at the end of January. If your child likes to spell, please encourage him or her to participate.

How does the Children's Spelling Bee work?

The Children’s Spelling Bee is an “old-fashioned” spelling bee with the spellers taking turns, each spelling a different word. Once a speller misspells one word, he or she is out of the Bee. Prizes are awarded to the winners and each speller receives a certificate for participating. For details on how the Bee works, see Children's Bee Rules and Procedures.