WESTFIELD – The fifth annual city-wide spelling bee “Words with Friends” will be held Thursday, February 4 at 6 p.m. in Dever Stage 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 Westfield State with assistance from the Westfield State Department of Advancement, Alumni and University Relations and the Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS). “Words with Friends” was organized by WSU Circle K executive board member Brianna Beninati ’19 and Westfield Schools VIPS director Tina Macy. This year’s sponsor is MedExpress Urgent Care Center of Westfield.
More than 400 students took part in preliminary local school spelling bees at the following elementary schools: Abner Gibbs, Franklin Avenue, Highland Avenue, Munger Hill, Paper Mill, Southampton Road, St. Mary’s, and Russell.
This year’s finalists are Samantha Adamtsev and Kaden Bush (Abner Gibbs), Gage Elkerkin and Armoni Hernandez (Franklin Avenue), Bryan Bolio and Solomiia Shevchuk (Highland), Aiden Longley and Kaelyn McEwan (Munger Hill), Jonathan Bulan and Rachel White (Paper Mill), Abigail Balser and Izmarizaray Reyes (Russell), Garrette Ondrick and Sara Whitelock (Southampton Road), and Hunter Chevalier and Julia Daley (St. Mary’s).
Each school sends their top two fifth grade students to finals at Westfield State where the sixteen 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 and the top three spellers will receive Barnes and Noble gift cards.
Members of the Kiwanis Club assist with the actual spelling bee with past Kiwanis President and host of the Adam Wright Show on WHYN-AM 560 Adam Wright serving as the moderator. The judges are George Delisle, Fr. Joseph Soltysiak, Leslie Stauffer, and Bob Plasse.
The event is free and open to the public. Dever Stage is located in Parenzo Hall. For more information, contact Ken Magarian at 572-5406.
