WESTFIELD—Westfield State University will be hosting the seventh annual city-wide spelling bee “Words with Friends” this Thursday.
The event will be occurring at Dever Stage at Westfield State University (WSU), beginning at 6 p.m. The bee at WSU is the final one in this year’s competition and will feature 14 students from schools in the city competing for prizes.
The 14 finalists are from over 500 students who participated in preliminary spelling bees in elementary schools across the city and are from fourth and fifth grade. The schools that held these preliminary competitions were Abner Gibbs, Franklin Avenue, Highland Avenue, Munger Hill, Paper Mill, Southampton Road and Russell Schools.
The view from stage at the 2017 Words with Friends Spelling Bee (WNG file photo).
The finalists are as follows: Samantha Dorion and Morgan Gagnon from Abner Gibbs; Ayesha Azhar and Lucy McKeague from Franklin Avenue; Ayden Moquin and Jaeden Smith from Highland; Skyler Dansereau and Jake Geoffrey from Russell; Lucas Bascom and Shalini Sundararajan from Munger Hill; Luke Bulan and Aliya Carthon from Paper Mill; and Colleen Pescitelli and Natalia Thorne from Southampton Road.
The 14 remaining spellers will receive a finalist medal, and the top three spellers will be receiving additional prizes. The winner’s school will also receive a permanent plaque with their name and the name of their school.
The event is free to attend and is sponsored by MedExpress of Westfield, with organization by the Kiwanis Club of Westfield State, as well as assistance from the volunteers in public schools.
