Sheriff’s Office team finishes fifth in Rotary Spelling Bee

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office team finished fifth among 19 teams at this year’s 17th Annual Rotary Club Corporate Spelling Bee held Feb. 16 in the Chalmette High School cafeteria. Team members are, from left: Capt. Dennis Morgan, of the Juvenile Detention Center; Kim Gritter, public information officer; and Maj. David DiMaggio, director of training.	A team from Valero Refinery took home bragging rights as this year’s best spellers and first place winners of the Rotary Club Corporate Spelling Bee. From left, are: Barry Lemoine, master of ceremonies; Jessica Vallelungo, enunciator; Valero team members Doug Frueh, Stacy Favalora and Zach Fridge; and Kelsey Billiot, Chalmette High School junior and bee mascot.
Second place honors at this year’s Rotary Club Corporate Spelling Bee went to a group of Chalmette High School students filling in for the St. Bernard Retired Teachers Association team. From left, are: Dr. Hugh Craft, rotarian; Chalmette High students Kevin Nguyen, John Mark Trahan and Kai Lawrence; and Kelsey Billiot, Chalmette High School junior and bee mascot.	The St. Bernard School Board’s administration team took home third place honors at this year’s Rotary Club Corporate Spelling Bee. From left, are: Dr. Hugh Craft, rotarian; team members Angela Seibert, David Fernandez and Lee Anne Harlton; and Kelsey Billiot, Chalmette High School junior and bee mascot.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office team finished fifth among 19 teams at this year’s 17th Annual Rotary Club Corporate Spelling Bee held Feb. 16 in the Chalmette High School cafeteria, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The Sheriff’s Office team, comprised of Maj. David DiMaggio, director of training, Capt. Dennis Morgan, of the Juvenile Detention Center, and Kim Gritter, public information officer, managed to stay in the game for six rounds, but were eventually taken out when they struggled to spell the word balalaika, a Russian stringed musical instrument.

A team from Valero Refinery, comprised of Zach Fridge, Doug Frueh and Stacy Favalora, took home bragging rights as this year’s best spellers and first place winners. Second place went to Kai Lawrence, Kevin Nguyen and John Mark Trahan, a group of Chalmette High School students filling in for the St. Bernard Retired Teachers Association team. The St. Bernard School Board’s administration team, Angela Seibert, David Fernandez and Lee Anne Harlton, took home third place honors.

Each year, for $300, teams of three people from local businesses, organizations and public offices are invited by the Rotary Club to participate in a fun competition and help raise money for a worthy cause. Refreshments are sold, and there are raffles and door prizes. Proceeds from the event are used by the Rotary Club to promote community literacy programs and to provide area third-graders with their own dictionaries.