Bee Creates Buzz throughout Community

(February 15, 2008 --Thunder Bay, ON) Lakehead University, in partnership with the Chronicle-Journal, is pleased to host the inaugural Chronicle-Journal Thunder Bay and District's Regional Spelling Bee, to be held at Lakehead's campus on Saturday, February 16. Many areas of the University are delighted to be involved in this event, including the Faculty of Education, Office of Admissions and Recruitment, Office of Communications, Instructional Development Centre, and the English Department.

Eighteen elementary-aged students from across the region will compete in this weekend's event, and the winner will advance to the national competition which takes place at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec, in mid-April.

"This is a wonderful initiative to promote and advance literacy and learning among our youth," says Dr. John O'Meara, Acting Dean of Lakehead's Faculty of Education. "Not only are the spellers thrilled to be involved with this event, but several of our Faculty of Education students are also." O'Meara was approached by event organizers in hopes of rounding up Education students who could act as "comforters" on the day of the event. "This is a great hands-on learning experience for our students," O'Meara says. "They'll be able to get a firm grasp of the various levels of vocabulary and spelling abilities, interact with the children, and support them - as teachers regularly do. This is a win-win learning scenario for all involved." Seven Faculty of Education students will be assisting with the event, and O'Meara will join Chronicle-Journal Publisher Colin Bruce in presenting the winning speller with his or her award when the competition draws to a close. Drs. Gillian Siddall, Director, Instructional Development; Chris Parks, Assistant English Professor; and Scott Pound, Assistant English Professor, will sit on the bee's judging panel.

The bee proper takes place from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in Lakehead's Bora Laskin Theatre. Spellers and their family members will be arriving on-campus early Saturday morning for campus tours, lunch, and a brief bee orientation, and doors will open to the public at 1:45 p.m. Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This event is part of CanWest CanSpell's National Spelling Bee Program. With the generous support of presenting sponsor Canada Post, as well as national sponsors Air Canada.com and AIC, the CanWest CanSpell National Spelling Bee Program features local bees in 22 cities across Canada.