Portage County – On Friday, April 25, 2014, at NEOMED’s Ralph Regula Conference Center there was a swirl of competitiveness at this year’s 23rd annual Portage County Literacy Coalition Spelling Bee.
In the beginning of the Bee, the teams: Community Action Council of Ravenna, Deluxe, Inc. of Streetsboro; NEOMED of Rootstown; and the Mavericks were battling for a victory. Each team didn’t give up the bout, but held on tight and continued spelling word after word. The tension rose as the teams clashed for the yearly PCLC Spelling Bee trophy. Words like: “Blatherskite,” “crepuscular,” and “per diem” were spelled. It was a struggle to the very end and finally it was down to two teams.
After 16 years of competing in the Portage County Literacy Coalition’s Spelling Bee, this year’s trophy was finally won by NEOMED of Rootstown. We congratulate Debbie Myers, Bryan Zeppernick, and Theresa “Terry” Schoettler of Team NEOMED for finally achieving the win. Also, we would like to note a gracious recognition to Gail Hansen and Jean Spain from NEOMED that were unable to make it to the Bee.
We would like to thank all of the area businesses that took part in this year’s Spelling Bee and also to those who generously donated items. Because of all our community partners the PCLC Spelling Bee was a success.
The Portage County Literacy Coalition is a non-profit that raises literacy awareness in Portage County and supports the Adult Basic and Literacy Education Program at Maplewood Career Center. All money raised from the PCLC Spelling Bee goes towards materials and scholarships for those achieving their GED. The PCLC welcomes volunteers and new board members. If you are interested in finding out more about the Portage County Literacy Coalition, please call (330) 235-0020.
