The “Words with Friends” trophy that will be awarded to the top speller. (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – The third annual citywide spelling bee “Words with Friends” will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Savignano Auditoriums at Westfield State University. The event is for fifth-grade students from the city of Westfield and is organized by The Circle K (Kiwanis) Club of WSU with assistance from the Volunteers in Public Schools led by WSU Circle K president Alex Roche and Westfield Schools VIPS director Barbara Trant.
Sponsorship support is furnished by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Westfield and MoFroyo on 619 East Main Street in Westfield. MoFroyo owner Todd Cieplinski donated $500 to Circle K Club to support the spelling bee.
Nearly 400 students took part in preliminary local school spelling bees at the following elementary schools: Southampton Road, Paper Mill, Abner Gibbs, Franklin Avenue, Highland Avenue, Munger Hill, Juniper Park, and St. Mary’s.
This year’s finalists are: Jacob Kostecki and Ava Gaughan (Abner Gibbs), Isabel Persuitte and Karenna Stern (Franklin Avenue), Madison Johnson and Dominic Navarrete (Highland), Abigail Daley and Allyson Bancroft (Juniper Park), Jayne Gosselin and Alex Maggipinto (Munger Hill), Ryan Morash, Trent Stucenski, and Alex Robitalle (alternate) (Paper Mill), Jasmin Felix and Mia Calderella (Southampton Road), Kylie Liptak and Madison Serafinski (St. Mary).
Each school sends their top two fifth-grade students to finals at WSU where the 16 students face off in this annual event. Each student receives a certificate and prizes are awarded to the top spellers. A permanent plaque with names of the winners and their school is awarded to the top student’s school each year.
Members of the Kiwanis Club assist with the spelling bee with Kiwanis Past President and Lt. Governor Adam Wright serving as the moderator. The event is free and open to the public. The Savignano Auditoriums are located in Wilson Hall on the WSU campus. For more information, contact Barbara Trant at 572-6345.
