By: Michelle Kinsey—
Muncie, IN – Who are the best adult spellers around? Find out on Feb. 21 when the MOM Celebrity Spelling Bee takes the stage at Cornerstone Center for the Arts.
Celebrity teams will battle it out – word for word – beginning at 6 p.m. in the Legacy Room of Cornerstone, 520 E. Main St. A pre-event reception will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Teams will be competing for the prestigious traveling MOM Celebrity Spelling Bee trophy. First Merchants Bank won the first bee in 2016 and Ball State’s Office of Institutional Diversity took home the trophy in 2017.
It’s going to “bee” a great night and the public is invited to cheer on the teams and, most importantly, support MOM, which is celebrating more than 30 years of educating children and families.
“With this year’s spelling bee being my first, I am really looking forward to it,” said Jonathan Jones, MOM Executive Director. “This will be an opportunity for the city to come together to highlight the importance of literacy and support our ability to educate children and families to grow and flourish.”
“This is an event that not only directly supports our ability to provide quality academic enrichment to students, but it also provides an opportunity for the community to take part in an event encouraging academic pursuits,” Jones added. “As an organization, we are committed to providing opportunities for students to discover more about themselves, the world around them, and the possibilities that education creates.”
Teams will include Ivy Tech Community College; the City of Muncie; Ball State University/Muncie Community Schools, sponsored by JPM Consulting (Jennifer Mearns), and Future Choices.
Master of Bee Ceremonies will be Mitch Isaacs, Executive Director of Shafer Leadership Academy and MOM board member. Celebrity judges will be award-winning spellers from the WIPB-TV Regional Spelling Bee, including last year’s champion Alesya Rathinasamy, a student at Burris Laboratory School.
Perhaps the biggest celebrities will be the students from MOM! Members of the Super Spellers Club there will be a part of each team. The spelling club, created by WIPB-TV, helps students develop their spelling, vocabulary and public speaking skills.
The fun-filled evening will also include appetizers and beverages provided by Vera Mae’s.
The bee is made possible with help from presenting sponsor First Merchants Bank, and contributing sponsors Muncie Power Products and Mutual Bank. This event is also made possible with generous support from Brenda Manis, Awards Plus, and Sight & Sound Productions.
“With autocorrect, we don’t have to keep track our spelling as close as we used to, so it should be fun to see who is ready for the challenge,” Jones said. “It should be a really fun night. I hope the city will come out and invest in tomorrow’s leaders and the future of Muncie.”
For tickets or more information, go to www.motivateourminds.org or call (765) 289-1990.
