FRAMINGHAM, MA – This coming November the Framingham Education Foundation will host its 20th Annual Adult Team Spelling Bee.

They are currently asking for suggestions for words to add to the study list for the bee.

Last year the list of words ranged from aardwolf, (a hyena-like animal of southern and eastern africa), abaciscus, (a small abacus), and abatjour, (a device, as a skylight, for diverting light into buildings), to zoopraxiscope, (an early motion projector),  zucchetto, (a skullcap worn by roman catholic ecclesiastics), and zucchini, (variety of summer squash)… and a little bit of everything in-between.

Long words are expected in spelling bees. The 2010 list contained several words which were more than a dozen letters long, including:

cardiopulmonary – pertaining to the heart and lungs.

chlorofluorocarbon – a substance blamed for hole in the ozone layer.

ichthyophagist – a person who subsists on fish.

triskaidekaphobia – a fear of the number 13.

But it’s sometime short commonly used words that give participants the most trouble.  Are coins made from “nickel” or “nickle“?  Is the strap used to control a horse a “reign” or a “rein” ?

To get an idea of words used in past spelling bees, click here to download or view the complete list of 2010 words, (file is in .PDF format, the Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the file).

The Framingham Education Foundation provides funding in the form of grants to Framingham Public School Educators so they can “provide exciting new learning opportunities for the students in their schools”.

The 2011/2012 list of grant recipients included funding for a community garden at Potter Road School, for computer graphic equipment for the high school, science curriculum materials for Fuller Middle School and many other programs not included in the regular school budget.

Note: The Framingham Education Foundation is currently accepting applications for grants that will be made in the fall.  The deadline for submitting an application is October 15, 2011.

To suggest a word for the bee, or for additional information, contact Framingham Education Foundation, P.O. Box 3287 Framingham, MA 01705, or phone: (508) 395-8139, or send email to:  FraminghamEdFoundation@live.com, or visit their website at:  www.framinghamedfoundation.org

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