CLE-BEE Corporate Spelling Bee

September 8th, 2016 was our inaugural Corporate Spelling Bee, sponsored by KeyBank and Lubrizol. 24 teams from Northeast Ohio competed against each other to see who would be the spelling champion. It was a great night, full of fun and raising awareness about the importance of literacy.

This event would not have been possible without the support of The Lubrizol Corporation and KeyBank. We just want to say thank you for sponsoring this great event!
To prepare for the bee a number of the teams had mini-bees to find their team members

At the Corrigan Krause Mini Bee! #CLEBEE https://t.co/40KISazW2X

At the Corrigan Krause Mini Bee! #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/40KISazW2X

Had a great time at our mini-bee yesterday with Corrigan Krause and DMS Solutions to get their team for our #CLEBEE! https://t.co/5MDAmNkaye

Had a great time at our mini-bee yesterday with Corrigan Krause and DMS Solutions to get their team for our #CLEBEE! pic.twitter.com/5MDAmNkaye

Corrigan Krause and DMS Management Solutions team for our #CLEBEE on September 8th! It is going to be a fun night! https://t.co/sJqAyRggTV

Corrigan Krause and DMS Management Solutions team for our #CLEBEE on September 8th! It is going to be a fun night! pic.twitter.com/sJqAyRggTV

@TriCedu staff ready to compete to be on their team for our #CLEBEE!! https://t.co/xszGQfmjf5

@TriCedu staff ready to compete to be on their team for our #CLEBEE!! pic.twitter.com/xszGQfmjf5
We were very lucky to have some great people involved with the spelling bee! Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling from WKYC was our celebrity Emcee! A big thank you to her for helping us make the event a great one!

Bob and @BetsyKling are planning for a great #CLEBEE on Thursday 9/8 @TheCityClub @wkyc https://t.co/tV3EUj7KSj

Bob and @BetsyKling are planning for a great #CLEBEE on Thursday 9/8 @TheCityClub @wkyc pic.twitter.com/tV3EUj7KSj

The #CLEBEE words are out of the vault and will be delivered to the Readers today! https://t.co/hySOCdEJku

The #CLEBEE words are out of the vault and will be delivered to the Readers today! pic.twitter.com/hySOCdEJku

Delivering the words to #CLEBEE Reader Mike Snyder @snyder1100, @wtam1100 https://t.co/N3oVlLDQR3

Delivering the words to #CLEBEE Reader Mike Snyder @snyder1100, @wtam1100 pic.twitter.com/N3oVlLDQR3

Monyka Price is taking the #CLEBEE Reader oath of secrecy! https://t.co/iqx4X1RP5c

Monyka Price is taking the #CLEBEE Reader oath of secrecy! pic.twitter.com/iqx4X1RP5c
A few weeks before the big event we had some fantastic volunteers help us rehearse

Having fun rehearsing for our #clebee in a few weeks!! https://t.co/itJ5dNzua8

Having fun rehearsing for our #clebee in a few weeks!! pic.twitter.com/itJ5dNzua8

Our #CLEBEE team is gearing up for tomorrow's event and excited to celebrate #InternationalLiteracyDay! https://t.co/dKacgkWmka

Our #CLEBEE team is gearing up for tomorrow’s event and excited to celebrate #InternationalLiteracyDay! pic.twitter.com/dKacgkWmka
After months of work and preparation September 8th finally arrived!

The #CLEBEE is tonight & we're excited to participate on the ABLE team. Bee there or bee square! @literacycoop https://t.co/f8Z1VqWSW0

The #CLEBEE is tonight & we’re excited to participate on the ABLE team. Bee there or bee square! @literacycoop pic.twitter.com/f8Z1VqWSW0

The stage set and ready for our spellers tonight!! #CLEBEE https://t.co/pyIUNROQ7B

The stage set and ready for our spellers tonight!! #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/pyIUNROQ7B

.@TheCityClub getting things set for @literacycoop 1st Annual Corporate #CLEBEE! #CLEreads2016 https://t.co/VmHhuVfTjh

.@TheCityClub getting things set for @literacycoop 1st Annual Corporate #CLEBEE! #CLEreads2016 pic.twitter.com/VmHhuVfTjh
We had a number of special guests attend the event. Mayor Frank Jackson, County Executive Armond Budish and The Honorable John. J. Russo who was our spelling judge for the night!

The Mayor is here to celebrate The Literacy Cooperative!#CLEBEE https://t.co/6l7szwP6Xz

The Mayor is here to celebrate The Literacy Cooperative!#CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/6l7szwP6Xz

.@ArmondBudish & @CityofCleveland Mayor Jackson ready to share remarks for @literacycoop #CLEBEE https://t.co/R1IzZpIgSt

.@cuycommonpleas Judge Russo says he's not afraid to use his gavel on tonight's spellers #CLEBEE #LiteracyDay https://t.co/n6cvxnZeeJ

.@cuycommonpleas Judge Russo says he’s not afraid to use his gavel on tonight’s spellers #CLEBEE #LiteracyDay pic.twitter.com/n6cvxnZeeJ
Our teams arrived ready and excited to compete to become the spelling champion!

Go United Way...the team to bee-t! #CLEBEE https://t.co/YzpSAGDskS

Go United Way…the team to bee-t! #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/YzpSAGDskS

The only word you need to know is #slay. @TheCityClub is ready for #CLEBEE https://t.co/RLfdXVfYTf

The only word you need to know is #slay. @TheCityClub is ready for #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/RLfdXVfYTf
Some teams really got into the spirit and dressed up for the event!

WKYC peacocks at the #CLEBEE https://t.co/pzYH2YD16B

WKYC peacocks at the #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/pzYH2YD16B

Here at the @literacycoop Cleveland Corporate Spelling Bee. Should be fun. #CLEreads2016 https://t.co/2mqKUXcAyQ

Here at the @literacycoop Cleveland Corporate Spelling Bee. Should be fun. #CLEreads2016 pic.twitter.com/2mqKUXcAyQ
September 8th was also International Literacy Day. The Corporate Spelling Bee was not only a fun fundraising event but also an event to raise awareness about illiteracy and what can be done to fight this crisis.

.@literacycoop #CLEBEE https://t.co/jSRPNHJhXr

The 1st annual CLE-BEE Corporate Spelling Bee started with a welcome and a few speeches.
Betsy Kling welcomed everyone and read the rules for the night’s competition.
 Channel 3's Betsy Kling kicks off the 1st annual #CLEBEE at the City Club! Go Team WKYC!@wkyc https://t.co/SWFbDNEms8
Channel 3’s Betsy Kling kicks off the 1st annual #CLEBEE at the City Club! Go Team WKYC!@wkyc pic.twitter.com/SWFbDNEms8

@BetsyKling welcoming everyone and reading the rules of our #CLEBEE! Going to be a fun night! https://t.co/i1TxXv9HV5

@BetsyKling welcoming everyone and reading the rules of our #CLEBEE! Going to be a fun night! pic.twitter.com/i1TxXv9HV5

 

@BetsyKling, Chief Meteorologist from @wkyc hosts the Cle-Bee! Good luck, Case Elementary! #cmsd #literacy #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/pN9mjaXm5D
Our Executive Director, Bob Paponetti, welcomed everyone and spoke about the significance of the event and International Literacy Day.

Our executive director welcoming everyone!! #CLEBEE https://t.co/BMTHkGrjR4

Our executive director welcoming everyone!! #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/BMTHkGrjR4
Our Board President, Beth Grove, was next to speak. She spoke about the history of The Literacy Cooperative and the work we do as well as premiering a short video about our work.

Our board president talking about the work we at The Literacy Cooperative do! #CLEBEE https://t.co/BBuo2Ijy7n

Our board president talking about the work we at The Literacy Cooperative do! #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/BBuo2Ijy7n
Mayor Frank Jackson shared his own struggles with illiteracy and spoke about how important literacy is to an individual and community. He also presented a proclamation to our Executive Director

It's beautiful to hear @CityofCleveland Mayor Frank Jackson speak about the power of #literacy #CLEBEE https://t.co/BUkdPg7zQ4

It’s beautiful to hear @CityofCleveland Mayor Frank Jackson speak about the power of #literacy #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/BUkdPg7zQ4

Mayor Frank Jackson presenting our executive director with a proclamation!! #CLEBEE https://t.co/bOHnu8PEnc

Mayor Frank Jackson presenting our executive director with a proclamation!! #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/bOHnu8PEnc

 

Congratulations to The Literacy Cooperative on 10 years!! #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/AhTe9gb7td
County Executive Armond Budish addressed the importance of early education and how “together we learn, together we thrive.”

@CuyahogaCounty executive Armond Budish speaking how important early education is!! #CLEBEE https://t.co/9dabCxNBfD

@CuyahogaCounty executive Armond Budish speaking how important early education is!! #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/9dabCxNBfD
Once the speeches were over it was time for competition to begin. Swarm one was the finance teams which included: Ciuni & Panichi Inc., Corrigan Krause CPAs/DMS Management Solutions, KeyBank, Newmark Grubb Frank Knight, Oswald Companies, and United Way of Greater Cleveland.
The winner of swarm one was Oswald Companies

Truth be told, in this first round, I'm pulling for our auditors at C&P #CLEBEE https://t.co/AyI6I45DLm

Truth be told, in this first round, I’m pulling for our auditors at C&P #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/AyI6I45DLm

Swarm one is up, the finance round! #clebee https://t.co/KrlL6dqjji

Swarm one is up, the finance round! #clebee pic.twitter.com/KrlL6dqjji
The buzz was so great that we started to trend #2 on Twitter and stayed in that spot throughout the whole event!

Trending #2 right now!! Keep the tweets show your enjoying this great event!! https://t.co/v9vHDp7nK0

Trending #2 right now!! Keep the tweets show your enjoying this great event!! pic.twitter.com/v9vHDp7nK0
Next up was swarm 2, the Legal Teams. This swarm included: Baker Hostetler, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, Frantz Ward, Thompson Hine, Ulmer & Berne LLP, and The City Club of Cleveland.
The winner of swarm 2 was Baker Hostetler

Time for swarm 2. The legal teams! #CLEBEE https://t.co/X5UdKk4HPs

Time for swarm 2. The legal teams! #CLEBEE pic.twitter.com/X5UdKk4HPs
Swarm 3 was the Corporate Teams and they consisted of: Eaton Corporation, Goldfarb Weber Creative Media, Cleveland Leadership Center, Lincoln Electric, The Lubrizol Corporation and WKYC Channel 3.
The winner of swarm 3 was Eaton Corporation!

Swarm 3! Corporate round!! Who will make it to the finals!? #CLEBEE https://t.co/1rwYn9AS3Y

Swarm 3! Corporate round!! Who will make it to the finals!? #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/1rwYn9AS3Y

Let's spell WKYC! Channel 3 team competes for the Literacy Coop #CLEBEE https://t.co/v6qarjdSvB

Let’s spell WKYC! Channel 3 team competes for the Literacy Coop #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/v6qarjdSvB

.@wkyc @BetsyKling sartorial spellers sashay at #CLEBEE https://t.co/1F60qYBwKs

The final qualifying swarm was the Community Teams: Broadway Slavic Village MyCom/P-16 (Supported by Third Federal Foundation), Case Elementary, CMSD (supported by Jones Day), Cleveland Metropolitan School District (sponsored by KeyBank), Cleveland State University (Sponsored by Lubrizol), Cuyahoga Community College and Northeast Ohio ABLE.
The winner of the Community swarm was Cuyahoga Community College.

And the final qualifying round is our community round!! Good luck! #CLEBEE https://t.co/KJWE0MlsAb

And the final qualifying round is our community round!! Good luck! #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/KJWE0MlsAb

 

The team to beat is from where futures begin, @TriCedu. They are bringing it! #cleBee #slay https://t.co/DHEkiXy3HD

The team to beat is from where futures begin, @TriCedu. They are bringing it! #cleBee #slay pic.twitter.com/DHEkiXy3HD
After a short break it was time for the final four to compete. The four teams competing to become the 1st CLE-BEE spelling champions were Baker Hostetler, Eaton Corporation, Cuyahoga Community College and Oswald Companies.

Our final four teams! Who will be the champion? #CLEBEE https://t.co/V2cpiroiBK

Our final four teams! Who will be the champion? #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/V2cpiroiBK

And our final teams begin the final round! Good luck! #CLEBEE https://t.co/ciEGec3dxt

And our final teams begin the final round! Good luck! #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/ciEGec3dxt
Betsy Kling read the rules for the final round, which was a sudden death round. One wrong answer and you were out.
No event is complete without a few surprises though. The Honorable John. J. Russo called for a change of the rules and overruled the final round rules. It was no longer sudden death, but two-strike elimination, as it was for the earlier qualifying rounds.

Anything can happen at our #CLEBEE! Judge Russo overruled the rules for the final round! https://t.co/QRXO36wCGU

Anything can happen at our #CLEBEE! Judge Russo overruled the rules for the final round! pic.twitter.com/QRXO36wCGU
After some tough words and competitive spelling, Baker Hosteler emerged the victors of the 1st annual Literacy Cooperative CLE-BEE, Corporate Spelling Bee!!!

Such a fun night!! Thank you to all our teams!! #CLEBEE https://t.co/FxWlypyZzr

Such a fun night!! Thank you to all our teams!! #CLEBEEpic.twitter.com/FxWlypyZzr

 

Great job Baker Hostetler 1st time #CLEBEE champs!! pic.twitter.com/lMb3gnCeRu

And our 1st annual #CLEBEE spelling champs are Baker Hostetler!! Congrats!! https://t.co/CE2cgyF2NJ

And our 1st annual #CLEBEE spelling champs are Baker Hostetler!! Congrats!! pic.twitter.com/CE2cgyF2NJ
It was a great night, full of some fantastic teams who put their all into the competition. We want to thank every team that was a part of this memorable event

Way to...BEE! Oswald employee-owners & super spellers @literacycoop #CLEBEE 9/8. 1st in category & 2nd overall. https://t.co/9kfHqkJBbG

Way to…BEE! Oswald employee-owners & super spellers @literacycoop#CLEBEE 9/8. 1st in category & 2nd overall. pic.twitter.com/9kfHqkJBbG

We couldn't BEE more proud of Team Tri-C who took 2nd Place at the #CLEBee! https://t.co/nHpbTCZnjy

We couldn’t BEE more proud of Team Tri-C who took 2nd Place at the #CLEBee! pic.twitter.com/nHpbTCZnjy
The CLE-BEE Corporate Spelling Bee was an event to bring the community together to not only have fun but to also to raise awareness about the importance of literacy. We hope everyone had a fun night and we thank you for your continued support in helping us to fight the illiteracy crisis in our community!
Good buzz abt literacy for last night’s #CLEBEE, even if our defeat does sting (ok, I won’t drone on with bee puns). pic.twitter.com/eqUyqzfaEs