Brookline Education Foundation
Annual Townwide Spelling Bee

Procedures to be Followed by all Teams

All teams must follow the following procedures:

1. All teams should have a designated speller who will write the response on the white board. This person does not have to be the captain.

2. The Pronouncer will pronounce the word, define it, and use it in a sentence and then repeat it. Any team participating in a "swarm" may ask the pronouncer to repeat the word one more time, but no more.

3. You have 30 seconds to spell. When the judges call time, all markers must be put down and the white boards must be held up and shown to the judges. Any team continuing to write after time is called or attempting to change the word as written on the white board will be disqualified. If the word as written is illegible or if letters are ambiguous, the word will be treated as misspelled.

4. Do not erase your white board until you have been told whether or not the word is spelled correctly. If a team erases its word too soon, it may be disqualified. If a team attempts to rewrite the word on the white board, the team will be disqualified.

5. If you have spelled the word correctly, please prepare for the next word.

6. If you have spelled the word incorrectly, please lower one of your flags and prepare for the next word. If you spell a word incorrectly and it is your second incorrect spelling, your team is eliminated. Please lower your second flag and turn over your team name sign.

7. If your team is eliminated, please wait until the end of your swarm before leaving the stage.

These procedures and the official rules will govern at the Spelling Bee. The judges shall resolve any disputes. There will be no appeals. The judges may resort to whatever remedies are necessary, as the situation demands.

For a PDF copy of these procedures, click here.