Bee Results

The Rotary Bees took first place in the NEF’s 2024 Trivia Bee

On Thursday, March 14th, the NEF held its 33nd annual Bee, the fourth year featuring trivia, with 49 teams and over 350 participants and attendees. Teams included students and teachers from each of Needham’s schools, local businesses and community organizations, and over a dozen family and neighbor teams. The evening started with an opportunity to meet Officer Rocket and Officer Ghost, the Needham Police Department’s Community Resource dogs, and to take team photos and purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win one of ten themed baskets with items donated by local businesses.

Mike “Sarge” Riley, the public address announcer for the New England Patriots and Revolution and a veteran Boston sports radio personality, kept the evening lively and fun as the event host, sharing fun facts about many of the teams or bantering with the student teams seated in front.

After 5 spirited rounds of trivia, including categories such as science, entertainment, geography, and Needham history, the Rotary Bees from the Rotary Club of Needham took first place. A tiebreaker, featuring a question in honor of Pi Day, determined the second place team — the Library Bookies from the Needham Free Public Library — and the third place team — the Broadmeadow Bees, with a teacher and students from Broadmeadow Elementary School. The Rotary Club and the Library have both been long-time participants in the NEF Bee.

Creativity abounded with the naming of the teams, including the Best Team Name category winner, Nobody Expects the Spanish InQUIZition. There were also a number of teams in fun outfits or hats, though none as committed as the Mitchell Teachers from the Mitchell Elementary School in their Taylor Swift regalia.

Having placed as one of the top three teams, the Broadmeadow Bees elementary team retained its title as the top-scoring elementary team this year. They will get to display the top-scoring elementary team trophy at Broadmeadow until next year’s Bee.

The event was recorded by the Needham Channel and will be available for viewing in late March.

Team and Event Pictures:

Congratulations to the Silly Sunflowers team for taking first place in the NEF’s 2023 Trivia Bee!

On Thursday, March 9th, the NEF held its 32nd annual Bee, the third year featuring trivia, with 50 teams and over 350 participants and attendees. Teams included representatives from each of Needham’s school communities, over a dozen local businesses and community organizations, and nearly two dozen family and neighbor teams. The evening started with an opportunity to take a picture with Officer Rocket, Needham’s Community Resource dog, as well as a chance to purchase tickets to our popular raffle or to buy a “Bee” cupcake donated by Treat Cupcake Bar.

After 5 lively rounds of trivia with host Mike “Sarge” Riley, including categories like science, entertainment, geography, and Needham history, the Silly Sunflowers team featuring students from Needham High School took first place! A tiebreaker question determined the second place team — BeeReal, made up of teachers from Needham High School — and the third place team — Hive Mind, with students from Needham High School. It was a NHS sweep!

Creativity abounded with the naming of their teams, including the Best Team Name category winner, Risky Quizness, named by the same team as last year’s winner, Let’s Get Quizzical. An honorable mention goes to Error Code 404 – Team Name Not Found.

Finally, the Broadmeadow Bees elementary team beat It’s Pasture Bedtime from Mitchell and What’s the question again? from Sunita Williams in a tiebreaker to earn its spot as the top-scoring elementary team this year. They will get to display the top-scoring elementary team trophy at Broadmeadow until next year’s Bee.

The NEF is grateful to all of the participants, advertisers, raffle donors, and event and team sponsors who made this event a success, raising over $25,000 to support innovation in the Needham schools.

Watch the 2023 Trivia Bee on the Needham Channel!

Team and Event Pictures

Congratulations to the Banking on Easy Questions team from Direct Federal Credit Union for taking first place in the NEF’s 2022 Trivia Bee!

On Thursday, March 10th, the NEF held its 31st annual Bee, the second year featuring trivia, with 50 teams and nearly 300 participants and attendees. Teams included representatives from each of Needham’s school communities, over a dozen local businesses and community organizations, and nearly two dozen family and neighbor teams.

After 5 lively rounds of trivia with host Mike “Sarge” Riley, including categories like science, pop culture, and Needham history, and 4 rounds of tiebreaker questions, the Banking on Easy Questions team from Direct Federal Credit Union took first place! They were followed by The Nerds Your Kids Hang Out With All Day team made up of teachers from Needham High School in second place, and the Brandybuck team represented by the Casale family in 3rd place.

Creativity abounded with the naming of their teams, including the Best Team Name category winner, Let’s Get Quizzical.

Finally, the Broadmeadow Bees elementary team tied with The Eagles Have Landed from Eliot as the top-scoring elementary teams. They will each get a chance to display the top-scoring elementary team trophy in their schools leading up to next year’s Bee.

The NEF is grateful to all of the participants, advertisers, raffle donors, and event and team sponsors who made this event a success, raising over $25,000 to support innovation in the Needham schools.

Stay tuned for a broadcast of the Trivia Bee on the Needham Channel in April!

Team and Event Pictures

Congratulations to The Chocolate Laser Eye Kittens team for taking first place in the NEF’s Virtual Trivia Bee!

On Thursday, March 11th, the NEF held its first ever virtual Trivia Bee with 50 teams and nearly 300 participants, hosted by Needham-native Mike “Sarge” Riley, the public address announcer for the New England Patriots and Revolution and a veteran Boston sports radio personality. Teams included teacher, administrator, and student representatives from each of the Needham schools, many community organizations, and over two dozen family and neighbor teams. After 5 lively rounds of trivia, including categories from science, to teen culture, to Needham history, The Chocolate Laser Eye Kittens team took first place! They were closely followed by the Bird Brains of Birds Hill in second place, and Rockets for 100, Alex in 3rd place.

Creativity abounded with the naming of their teams, including the Best Team Name category winner, Eliot PTC’s Nerd Immunity. Best costume went to the To Bee or not to Bees team in full Shakespearean garb, and the Best Zoom Background went to The Council of Sarahs and Js who were joined by a beach-going Superintendent Dan Gutekanst!

The NEF is grateful to all of the participants, advertisers, raffle donors, and event sponsors who made this event a success, raising over $22,000 to support innovation in the Needham schools.

Thank you to the Needham Channel for editing and airing the event throughout April! If you missed the episodes, click the video link below to view the broadcast!

1st Place – The Chocolate Laser Eye Kittens

2nd Place – Bird Brains of Birds Hill

3rd Place – Rockets for 100, Alex

Best Costume – To Bee or not to Bees

Best Zoom Background – The Council of Sarahs and Js

Best Team Name – Nerd Immunity

More Team Pictures!

Given the Town of Needham Public Health and Superintendent’s announcements that all public events be cancelled, the NEF Spelling Bee this Sunday March 15th will not take place. While we are disappointed that we can’t all come together as a community for this fun and friendly competition, we are grateful for the tremendous amount of support from our sponsors and participants. The generosity of our community allows us to continue funding innovative programs in our Needham Public Schools.

Congratulations to the Needham School Committee for taking the top prize at the 2019 Spelling Bee and to the Broadmeadow “Smaht Spellahs” for winning the elementary round!

On Sunday, March 10th the Needham community came together to test their spelling prowess at the 28th Annual NEF Spelling Bee. Over 40 teams participated, including elementary, middle and high school students, teachers, parents, members of Needham community organizations, and local business people.

The afternoon kicked off with Kathy Curran, member of WCVB’s 5 Investigates, helping students film a Wake-Up Call for Channel 5’s EyeOpener (watch the video, here). The NHS a cappella group Making Music Matter then performed the National Anthem beautifully to kick off the Bee. Throughout the ensuing five rounds of spelling, celebrity pronouncers Kathy Curran, Superintendent Dan Gutekanst, and David Wade, co-anchor of WBZ-TV News, kept the event lively and fun.

In the preliminary rounds, the Broadmeadow 5th grade students were the winners in the elementary school round, correctly spelling the word “knowledgeable.” The Broadmeadow and Hillside PTC teams battled for 18 words until Broadmeadow won on “querimonious.” The High Rock team (6th graders) out-dueled 7th grade, 8th grade, and high school teams with the word “gaufrette.” In the Championship round, the Needham School Committee took the big prize after correctly spelling “kakistocracy,” which means “government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state.”

See coverage of the Bee on the Needham Channel.

The Olin College Phoenixes Win the Bee and Elementary Round Ends in a Tie!

This past Sunday, the Needham community came together to test their spelling prowess at the 27th Annual NEF Spelling Bee. Nearly 40 teams participated, including elementary, middle and high school students, teachers, parents, members of Needham community organizations, and local business people.

The afternoon kicked off with Kathy Curran, member of WCVB’s 5 Investigates, helping the middle school Treble Choir film a Wake-Up Call for Channel 5’s EyeOpener (watch the video, here). The choir then performed the National Anthem beautifully to kick off the Bee. Throughout the ensuing five rounds of spelling, celebrity pronouncers Kathy Curran, Superintendent Dan Gutekanst, and Last Minute Productions partner Gary Gillis kept the event lively and fun. 

Four teams advanced to the championship round – Broadmeadow PTC’s Bees in the Meadow, the Olin College Phoenixes, the Pollard Faculty’s Busy Bees and the Needham School Committee. The team from Olin College–Joe Hunter, Elizabeth Cantrell and Lisa Downey–won it in the end, correctly spelling “gymkhana” (a horseback-riding meet featuring games and novelty contests).

The elementary round, featuring the winning Bee teams from each elementary school, was a nail biter. Dr. Gutekanst pronounced over 30 words in an attempt to stump the 5th graders. After running out of words, a tie was declared between the Hillside Hornets and Mitchell Superior Spellers after properly spelling “gargantuan.”

See coverage of the Bee on the Needham Channel.

Eliot Wins the Elementary Round!

On Sunday, March 19, the Needham community came together to test their spelling prowess at the 26th Annual NEF Spelling Bee. Over 30 teams participated, including elementary, middle and high school students, teachers, parents, members of Needham community organizations, and local business people. The afternoon kicked off with Kathy Curran, member of WCVB’s 5 Investigates, helping the middle school Treble Choir film a Wake-Up Call for Channel 5’s EyeOpener. The choir then performed the National Anthem beautifully to kick off the Bee. Throughout the ensuing six rounds of spelling, celebrity pronouncers Kathy Curran, Superintendent Dan Gutekanst, and Last Minute Productions partner Gary Gillis kept the event lively and fun.

There was some fierce competition in the Elementary round, which was led by Superintendent Dan Gutekanst. At one point, Dr. Gutekanst consulted with Bee co-chair, Sarah Mesnik, about the possibility of running out of words! The Eliot Queen Bees, Danielle Sockol, Talia Feeney, and Taylor Chen, ultimately secured the elementary-level trophy by correctly spelling “discrepancy.” The girls were so excited about their win, they opted to join in the Championship Round with winners of the other adult and older student rounds. The Queen Bees spelled several words correctly before they were knocked out of the competition! Great job Queen Bees!

Library Bookies Take the Championship!

Joining the Queen Bees in the very challenging Championship Round were the Newman Pride teachers, the Needham School Committee, the Needham Finance Committee, and the Library Bookies from the Needham Public Library. Represented by Gay Ellen Dennett, Rose Doherty, and Janice Bowen, the Bookies were ultimately victorious when they correctly spelled the word “ranunculus,” which is a genus of plants including Buttercups. The Library Bookies are especially deserving of their bragging rights because they are long-time supporters of the NEF and the Bee, having competed at all 26 Bees!

It was a fun-filled afternoon in support of the NEF and our mission to make learning come alive. Hundreds of spectators cheered on the spellers, enjoyed snacks provided by Roche Bros, and purchased Treat cupcakes and raffle tickets for great prizes from area businesses. We are grateful for all of the support!

A Repeat Victory at the 25th Annual NEF Spelling Bee!

On Sunday, March 13th, the Needham community came together to test their spelling prowess at the 25th annual Needham Education Foundation Spelling Bee. Over 40 teams participated, including elementary, middle and high school students, teachers, parents, members of Needham community organizations, and local business people. The afternoon kicked off with the return of the Elementary School Round. After some fierce competition, the Hillside Yellow Jackets, including Omri Sde-Or, Ariel Berk, and Larisa Badawi, won on the word “chauffeur.”

In the Championship Round, the High Rock & Pollard Teachers team repeated last year’s victory after spelling “catarrh,” which means inflammation of a mucous membrane. It was a fun-filled afternoon, with hundreds of spectators cheering on the spellers. Attendees enjoyed answering trivia questions between rounds and competition was high for the great raffle prizes from area businesses. Celebrity pronouncers Superintendent Dan Gutekanst, WHDH-TV 7News reporter Kimberly Bookman, and Last Minute Productions partner Gary Gillis kept the event lively and fun.

A Repeat Victory at the 25th Annual NEF Spelling Bee!

On Sunday, March 13th, the Needham community came together to test their spelling prowess at the 25th annual Needham Education Foundation Spelling Bee. Over 40 teams participated, including elementary, middle and high school students, teachers, parents, members of Needham community organizations, and local business people. The afternoon kicked off with the return of the Elementary School Round. After some fierce competition, the Hillside Yellow Jackets, including Omri Sde-Or, Ariel Berk, and Larisa Badawi, won on the word “chauffeur.”

In the Championship Round, the High Rock & Pollard Teachers team repeated last year’s victory after spelling “catarrh,” which means inflammation of a mucous membrane. It was a fun-filled afternoon, with hundreds of spectators cheering on the spellers. Attendees enjoyed answering trivia questions between rounds and competition was high for the great raffle prizes from area businesses. Celebrity pronouncers Superintendent Dan Gutekanst, WHDH-TV 7News reporter Kimberly Bookman, and Last Minute Productions partner Gary Gillis kept the event lively and fun.