If you heard the raucous behavior coming from the Rye Free Reading Room this past Saturday, with people shouting out various consonants and vowels, it was the book mecca’s 6th Annual Spelling Bee.
After Library Director Chris Shoemaker welcomed the young participants and Mayor Josh Cohn and Rye patron Cara Giacomo joined as official word readers, the battle was on, with separate competitions for middle and high school students.
In the end, after letters flew across the room, two past champions claimed the spelling bee championships again as well as the collective $3,000 in prizes.
Middle School Champ Crozier
After eight rounds, 7th grader Emma Crozier emerged once again as the middle-school winner by correctly spelling “mohair”. Emma is a two-time winner and reigning middle- school champion as she won in last year’s competition.
High School Champ Holler
It took 15 rounds for high-school 10th grader Calvin Holler to claim the title by spelling “pianino” (a small upright piano, I had to look it up). Competition was stiff as four of the five high school challengers were either previous winners or contestants. Letters on fire! Calvin was the middle-school champion in 2020.
Immortalized and Monetized
Emma Crozier’s and Calvin Holler’s names will be inscribed on the permanent spelling bee trophy that is displayed in the main reading room at the library. Each will be awarded a trophy, and scholarship prize money at the library’s annual meeting in February 2024. The $2,500 High School scholarship prize is provided by Carpet Trends. The $500 middle school scholarship is donated by the Riccio and Mecca families.
