At Peruvian Park Elementary, a spelling bee turned legendary when a teacher faced the word, “floccinaucinihilipilification.” 

The word’s meaning, estimating something as worthless, couldn’t have been further from the truth as the students’ own spelling bee fundraiser raised more than $23,000 for PTA programs.

However, it was “bumbershoot,” another word for umbrella, that made fifth-grade teacher Amie Jones the champion, crowned in a surprise visit from retired kindergarten teacher Christine Bond.

Other adult contestants faced playful consequences for misspellings from singing and dancing to donning wacky costumes, keeping the audience laughing.

“It was OK to get out early; we wanted it to be both fun and funny,” said Laura Miller, PTA president-elect.

The fun continued with other rewards such as a dirty soda bar. Students ordered their favorite dirty sodas or lemonades and all 560 were served at lunchtime, thanks to the PTA, with contributions from WinCo.

The first and second graders were top fundraisers and earned Chick-fil-A meals.

The funds exceeded the $20,000 goal, supporting literacy night, STEM night, read-a-thon, the school musical, “Lion King,” field day, field trips, chess club, Reflections, positive behavior prizes and school shirts.

The bee isn’t just about spelling words, it’s also about community and fun.

“The spelling bee is a low-cost fundraiser and we see great rewards from it,” she said. “Students are learning while earning; they’re supportive of one another and everyone is excited about it.”