may 4, 2016

Desert Foothills Community Spelling Bee Raised $11,000 for grants and scholarships

Photos by Elaine Adrian

Spelling Champions -- The Shadowslayers -- Cactus Shadows High School Yearbook Team. Mia Valenza, Alysa Velez, Ashton Seep

SCOTTSDALE – Foothills Community Foundation (FCF), a north Scottsdale-based nonprofit, raised more than $11,000 for teacher grants and student scholarships through its 6th Annual Desert Foothills Community Spelling Bee on April 6.

A team from Cactus Shadows High School, “The Shadowslayers,” won the championship after five rounds of heated competition with 21 other teams. In addition to bragging rights, the team had their names inscribed on the Paul “Buzz” Schilling trophy.

Best Team Name - The “Bee”ch Bums -- Black Mountain Elementary PTO
Marian Bauer, Lauren Scherling, Alexandra Goodspeed


Close to 100 people attended the event, which was open to the entire community. The competition was open to students in seventh grade and higher, as well as adults.

“We applaud all of our participating teams for their competitive spirit and creativity,” said Chris Winger, FCF president and CEO. “We’re also grateful for members of the community who came to cheer them on. It’s a fun, lively event and a great way to show our support of teachers and students.”

Best Dressed Team - May the Force “BEE” With You - Three Phase Mechanical Heating & Air ConditioningRenee’ Schroeder, Danika Kroeger, Julia Groucher

Winning participants include:
• Spelling Champions – The Shadowslayers from Cactus Shadows High School Yearbook Team. Team members included Mia Valenza, Alysa Velez and Ashton Seep.

• Best Team Name – The “Bee”ch Bums from the Black Mountain Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Team members included Marian Bauer, Lauren Scherling and Alexandra Goodspeed.

 • Best Dressed – May the Force “Bee” With You from Three Phase Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning. Team members included Renee Schroeder, Danika Kroeger and Julia Groucher.

Proceeds from the Community Spelling Bee will benefit FCF’s Partners in Education (PIE) program, which raises funds to support local students and teachers through its Teacher Vision Grants and Save One Student Scholarships (SOS) programs.

For more information, visit www.azfcf.org and click on Partners in Education, or call 480-488-1090.