For four educators from South Lenoir High School, success is spelled a-p-o-s-i-o-p-e-s-i-s.
That’s the word that earned teammates Ryan Gardner, Jennifer Croom, Yolonda Titus and Courtney Strickland the win Tuesday night in the Adult Spelling Bee, the annual Lenoir County Education Foundation fundraiser to benefit teachers and students in Lenoir County Public Schools.
The South Lenoir team took home the first-place trophy and $300 and doubled up by winning the event’s Spirit Award, a nod to the team’s costumes and exuberance. Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School teammates Elizabeth Moon, Mary Riddick, Alyssa Citero and Sullivan Anlyan spelled their way to a second-place finish and $200 prize. Third place and $100 went to the team from LCPS’s Central Services – Frances Herring, Christel Carlyle, Stacy Cauley and Melissa Lynch.
After about 90 minutes and some 30 words – ranging from the ordinary to the nearly unpronounceable – the field of 27 teams had thinned out to the three finalists. All three correctly spelled “chiaroscuro,” then “petrichor,” but only South Lenoir correctly spelled “aposiopesis,” a word of Greek origin meaning “a sudden breaking off in speech for dramatic effect.” Judges awarded second and third place based on a count of “buy words,” which allow teams to erase a misspelling for a price. CSS had used fewer to stay in the contest.
The Adult Spelling Bee, organized by the Education Foundation and the Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, its parent organization, combines with the Foundation’s annual golf tournament to raise thousands of dollars to be distributed as mini-grants to Lenoir County Public School teachers.
The event generates funds through sponsorships, team registration fees and “buy words,” which seemed to be in heavy use Tuesday night.
Queen Bee sponsor of this year’s contest, held at the Lenoir County Livestock Arena, was Lenoir Community College. LCC also matched the proceeds from “buy words” dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000.
Other top sponsors were Chick-fil-A of Kinston, Hinson’s Printing of Kinston, UNC Health Lenoir, Alsco Uniforms, N.C. Cooperative Extension in Lenoir County, Tailored Promotions & Gifts and DJ4 Entertainment. The IT department from LCPS provided technical assistance.
Dr. Rusty Hunt, president of Lenoir Community College, emceed the event and Catherine Hardee, a history instructor at LCC and a former Adult Spelling Bee winner, served as pronouncer.
Pictured:
The South Lenoir High School team of, from left, Ryan Gardner, Jennifer Croom, Yolonda Titus and Courtney Strickland won first place in the 2026 Adult Spelling Bee, the annual Lenoir County Education Foundation fundraiser to benefit teachers and students in Lenoir County Public Schools. The team also won the event’s Spirit Award. With the spellers in the winner’s circle are Cale Grady, standing left, president of the Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, the Education Foundation’s parent organization, and Dr. Rusty Hunt, president of Lenoir Community College, the primary sponsor of the event.