12th Annual Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee

 Kingston, Ontario – May 11, 2006
   

A Message from our Honorary Chair, Jack Chiang
       
“The Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee in one of the best events in Kingston. It’s fun. It’s entertaining. It’s for a great cause. Your participation in the Bee will help people improve their lives by improving their literacy skills.”
 
 

 

To Bee or Not To Bee: Our Purpose

Corporate spelling bees have been popular fundraising events in the United States, attracting large corporations to highly publicized evenings.

The first corporate bee in Canada was held in Kingston in 1995 and was successfully received by corporations and the media. The Arabian Nights, the Three Musketeers, Mary and Her Little Lambs, and other zany literary characters represented their corporations in teams of three players.

While the set-up is similar to a traditional spelling bee, the focus is fun. There are prizes for the team with the best costumes, best team spirit, and, of course, best spellers. Judges dress up, the “Bee” buzzes around, and our “Mispronouncer” fumbles on!

Planning is now underway for the 2006 Bee, which will be broadcast on COGECO Cable.
       

       

The Family Literacy Program

All funds raised from the Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee benefit Kingston Literacy’s Family Literacy Program. This program supports parents in a quest to help children come to love language, stories, reading, and writing, which, in turn, will motivate them to learn. In this way, the program strives to break the cycle of low literacy skills in our community.

In 1990, Kingston Literacy's Family Literacy Program developed the Reading and Parents Program (RAPP) to target parents with low literacy skills.

Time is spent with parents, whether in a group setting or on a one-to-one basis, going over a “RAPP” pack, containing a children’s book, reading and language hints, as well as craft and pencil activities. This helps to develop the parent’s skill in using children’s books in the home. Kingston Literacy is hoping to expand its Family Literacy Program in the community to target families living in high-risk areas.
       

       
Jack Chiang was born in China and educated in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and the United States.

After getting his Master’s degree in Journalism from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jack came to Canada to work as a reporter for the Orillia Packet and Times. He worked there for two years before joining The Kingston Whig-Standard as a reporter-photographer.

Since 1980, Jack has held a number of management positions at The Kingston Whig-Standard: Photo Editor, City & Region Editor, Sports Editor, and Columnist.

Jack has won more than twenty regional and national awards for his photos. He is the author of the best-selling book, “Images of Kingston”, which is now in its second printing, and a new book, "Celebrating Ontario".