The Seventh Annual 19^th Ward Spelling Bee, a competition involving 48 students from Rochester schools 10, 16, 19, 29, and 44, will be held Saturday, April 8 in Hoyt Hall at
the University of Rochester. 

The event is a partnership of the city of Rochester’s 19th Ward Community Association, Rochester Area Community Foundation, the University of Rochester Admissions Office, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, the Rochester City School District, and the Arnett Branch Library. Students in grades 3 to 8 are encouraged to participate. The Spelling Bee will start at 1 p.m. and end at about 3 p.m.

The winners in each grade level are awarded a trophy and a $500 scholarship to be awarded when the student goes to college. A fund established at the Community Foundation supports the scholarships. This year, two winners from the first and second spelling bees are on track to graduate this Spring and claim their scholarships when they enter college or technical school in the Fall.

The Spelling Bee was initiated by the neighborhood association, led at the time by President J.B. Afoh-Manin, along with Robin Carter-McFadden, Ken Maher, and Nick Robinson to recognize academic achievement in the neighborhood schools. Currently, the event is organized by the association’s Schools Committee, chaired by John Laing.

Members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity have taken a leadership role in hosting the Spelling Bee finalists by providing a tour of the UR campus and lunch and conducting the competition. Practice sessions for participating students have been held since January at the Arnett Library and run by members of the fraternity and residents of the 19th Ward. The Rochester City School District provides transportation for the finalists to the event.

Members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity have taken a leadership role in hosting the Spelling Bee finalists by providing a tour of the UR campus and lunch and conducting the competition. Practice sessions for more than 125 students have been held since January at the Arnett Library and run by members of the fraternity and residents of the 19th Ward. The Rochester City School District provides transportation for the finalists to the event.

The Spelling Bee is free and open to the public.

This program has grown from two schools in 2011 — John Walton Spencer School No. 16 and Lincoln Park School No. 44 — to five schools.

Contributions to support the Greater Rochester Spelling Bee Fund are welcome and can be done online at www.racf.org/Spelling or mail checks addressed to Rochester Area Community Foundation, with Spelling Bee Fund in the Memo line, to the Community Foundation, 500 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607.