MARLBOROUGH – There was a mix of high school students, teachers, administrators, business people and professionals on hand for the Citizens Scholarship Foundation (CSF) Scholar Bee held in the Apex Entertainment function room on April 29. However, it was the youngest group present, a team of seventh graders from Northborough’s St. Bernadette’s School who outlasted everyone else to claim first place honors.
Twenty teams of three competed in this year’s CSF spelling challenge, which was relaunched this year. Teams were divided into groups of four teams that competed in five preliminary rounds with the winner of each round advancing to the finals.
During each round, every team was given the same word to spell correctly within twenty seconds. Misspelled words resulted in immediate elimination unless no other team spelled the word correctly. Additional words were provided until only one team remained.
In the end, the seventh grade team named “The Word Warriors” claimed first place by correctly spelling the word “languorous.”
The team included Aayush Kumar, Alexander Krolewski and Dylan Burke.
They were each awarded a $50 gift card to 110 Grill and a $50 gift card to Apex Entertainment for their achievement.
Prizes were also awarded to the team with the best name, “Bee Smaaht” – Kim Cox, Alyson Webb and Kristen DeKennan, and the team with the best costume, “The Money Bees” – Abraham Santos, Bob Gustafson and John Sorbi.
Event honors Debbie Giroux
The event began with a tribute to Debbie Giroux, a tireless CSF supporter who passed away last year.
She was a lifelong Marlborough resident, business owner and active volunteer, having served as CSF President and Vice President and on several committees.
“Debbie always put in more than one-hundred percent effort in securing sponsors for our events,” said CSF Co-Founder Mary Jo Nawrocki.
Nawrocki also noted that she was very grateful for the kindness of business owners and individuals in Marlborough who have generously supported CSF scholarships over the years.
“Debbie just had a special way of getting people to join in,” Marilyn Snediker added. “She gave her whole heart and soul to CSF.”
Snediker and Giroux had been close friends ever since high school.
“Anybody who ever met Debbie felt like she was their best friend,” Snediker continued.
Local school administrators judge Scholar Bee
The Scholar Bee was sponsored by Joseph Shay, Jr., Milford Stone and Affiliates. The MC for the evening was Bob Socci, radio voice of the New England Patriots on 98.5 FM, the “Sports Hub.”
Judges included Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) Assistant Principal Amanda Cence, AMSA Principal Mike Nawrocki, and Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School Principal Mark Hollick.
CSF distributes scholarships throughout community
Founded in 1989, CSF has distributed 1,290 scholarships totaling $979,000 to deserving local students. Scholarships range in amount from $1,000 to $2,000. All students who reside in Marlborough are eligible to apply for CSF scholarships, regardless of what private or public school they attend.
In addition, more than one hundred CSF scholarships have been distributed through the group’s SummerFUNds Enrichment Program for students in grades K-11.
Learn more about CSF by visiting marlborough.
