"Teachers, parents, relatives, and other adults in the community are eligible to compete," said Andy Sklover, co-founder of the Bee.

            Sklover developed the event with Elizabeth Kenny in honor of their children, both named Ryan, who have Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. 

            "We are fostering an appreciation for a diminishing skill set while supporting a worthy cause,” he said. "We see kids becoming more and more enthusiastic about learning new vocabulary words. They are really enjoying the process, and are revved up for the final competition in February.”

            "Any program or activity which reviews and reinforces vocabulary will greatly contribute to improving fluency when reading," said Northeast Principal Dr. Connie Stevenson. "Reading is words, and the more experiences students have learning and using words, the more they will enjoy reading."

            The competition is organized by Northeast parent volunteers and teachers and kicked off in December with students in grades three, four and five practicing spelling words in mock competitions.

            One student from each classroom will become a finalist, and advance to the final competition.  All finalists will be given t-shirts and certificates. Winners will be awarded prizes.  Both students and adults obtain sponsors who will pledge a dollar amount for each word spelled correctly.

            The R² Spelling Bee competition will be held Wednesday, February 6, 2013 from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Northeast Elementary School, 82 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford. Student competition will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the adult team competition at 6:30 p.m.