Trinity parishioners win 36th Corporate and Community Spelling Bee

A group from Trinity Episcopal Church was declared the winner of The Blade’s 36th annual Corporate and Community Spelling Bee held Thursday at the Pinnacle in Maumee.

The winning group included Merwin Siu, the Toledo Symphony’s artistic administrator, Heather Meyer, Hugh Grefe, and Kyle Grefe, all parishioners from the downtown Toledo church. They were a somewhat fresh sight among the contestants who are often business and nonprofit-focused teams populating the event each year.

Law firm Spengler Nathanson’s team finished second, and engineering consultants from the SSOE Group finished third.

The nearly three dozen teams, including one from The Blade, were asked to spell a variety of words, many of which were considered quite difficult by those involved. The friendly competition was moderated by Sylvania Schools’ English teacher Paul Moffitt.

Some of the most difficult words included spelling the name of red-headed pop star “Chappell Roan,” the flying “whippoorwill,” and “ Nihon Hidankyo,” th e Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors that recently received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Another particularly difficult speed round centered on names of international foods like “lebkuchen,” a German Christmastime delicacy; “spiedini,” a type of Italian kabob; and “yosenabe,” a kind of Japanese hot pot.

Proceeds of the event — "around $64,000," according to a board member — went to supporting Read for Literacy, the downtown Toledo-based nonprofit that assists adults, children, and families in gaining the skills they need to have literacy success.

“There are many, many adults that struggle reading,” said Tom Cole, Taylor Automotive community outreach coordinator, who served as emcee of the event. “We know in our busy lives today if you don’t understand something that’s in front you ... people can take advantage of you.”

The organization also provides books to needy students through its Creating Young Readers program.

“A lot of times kids don’t own any books,” Mr. Cole said. “You think of books you have at home, or favorite books that you’ve read ... books are such a valuable commodity. You learn so much from them.”