Spelling Bee Rules

1. Have FUN! Relax! Have FUN! Relax!

2. Each team will consist of three members, including a on stage captain who is the designated speller.

3. Some of the words used in the preliminary swarms of the Bee will be selected from the 2009 Spell-It Web Link. This is a large download, so please give it time to open. http://www.myspellit.com/Spell_It_2009_download.pdf
Many additional words will used in the GFFE Adult BEE.

4. The Emcee will pronounce the word, give the definition of the word, use it in a sentence and pronounce the word once more. Participants in each round may ask the emcee to pronounce the word one additional time, but no more.

5. Team members may collaborate on the spelling of a word. Each team will have 30 seconds to spell the word by writing it on the team whiteboard. Please print as large as possible and very neatly.

6. All teams must immediately stop writing when the gong or timer is sounded. Spellers will be eliminated if they continue to write, attempt to change the letters on the board, or attempt to erase the board before the judges give the okay!

7. The emcee may ask the teams to spell the word orally as it is written. If there is a discrepancy between the written and oral spelling, the written spelling prevails.

8. Upon missing the spelling of one word in the preliminary swarms, a team is eliminated. As the swarm progresses, a team who mispells a word is eliminated, unless all remaining teams also mispell the word. In that case play continues. A swarm is over when all but one team is eliminated.

9. The last team to spell a word correctly in a particular swarm is declared the winner of that swarm and will advance.

10. Winners of each swarm shall be recalled for a championship swarm, and the same rules will apply. This is for “The Best of the Hive” Trophy.

11. The judges will make the final decision on all questions, including disputes concerning pronunciation, interpretation of rules, time, and anything else. Honey Bee Court rulings are final. There will be no appeals.

• If you want to volunteer to assist with this event, please send email to: volunteer@gffe.org
• If you have questions about the spelling bee, please send email to: bee@gffe.org