EAST LINCOLNTON - East Lincoln Middle School was the winner of the 12th Annual Adult Spelling Bee on Tuesday, March 24, 2009.

The Spelling Bee is sponsored by the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce and the Lincoln County Public Education Foundation.

Thirty-nine teams participated in the event. A team consists of four members. When a word is announced, the team mutually determines the correct spelling and writes it for the judges. If a team misspells a word, they can remain in the competition by buying the word for $25.

"Buy Backs" can only be used during the first three rounds of the spelling bee. The Adult Spelling Bee is a great way to support both the Chamber and the Education Foundation in Lincoln County.

Past support of the Spelling Bee has helped the Education Foundation award $219,000 in technological equipment to schools and $126,000 in innovative teaching grants.

The Bee also allows the Chamber to give $1,000 scholarships each year at the annual Academic Achievement Banquet.

Members of the East Lincoln Middle School 2009 Adult Spelling Bee Team were; Cheryl Bruno, Amanda Vickers, Kquisha Dagenhart, and Jennifer Huskey.