The Dartmouth Education Foundation will host its 9th annual spelling bee on Thursday, November 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Dartmouth High School auditorium to support teaching and learning in the town’s public schools.

At the free event, 28 teams of three members — comprised of school teachers, administrators, community organizations, and supporting citizens — will compete for eternal glory and a traveling trophy that displays the previous winners.

There will be five rounds, called “flights” in keeping with the bee theme, and the winning team from each flight will compete in the final championship flight.

Once again there will be “In it to Win it” games in the auditorium from 6 to 7 p.m. to keep up the buzz as audience members arrive.

New this year is the “Loudest Buzz” trophy, which will be awarded to the Dartmouth school that demonstrates the highest community attendance at the Bee.

In addition, all audience members and spelling bee participants will receive a chance to win gift certificates and other prizes between spelling rounds.

Prizes include gift cards and baskets from Dahlia Living, Flora Home, Ritual Sweat Society, IHOP, Farm & Coast Market, Strawberry Moon, and memberships to the Lloyd Center and Buttonwood Zoo.

The final prize drawing before the Championship Flight will be the grand door prize of two tickets to the Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks game on March 18, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at TD Garden.

The Spelling Bee is the sole fundraiser for the Dartmouth Education Foundation, which gives grants for Dartmouth teachers to use in the classroom.

This year’s flight sponsors include APC Auto Body Inc., Baarsvik-Souza Orthodontics, Fiber Optic Center, Nunes and Charrier CPAs LLC, Parkview Apartments, Sylvia and Company Insurance Agency, and The Cheryl A. St. George Trust.

Each patron donating will be listed in the program.

Last year, every school in the Dartmouth Public Schools was represented and 18 grants were funded for a total amount over $14,500.

The impact of these grants has the potential to reach every student in Dartmouth.

Lara Stone, Chair of the Foundation’s Advisory Council, notes “The Dartmouth Education Foundation awards funds to teachers for projects and initiatives that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to accomplish. We appreciate the ability to further innovation and support instructional learning.”

Examples of grant-funded projects include technology equipment, literacy materials, new books, curriculum, software, and more.

The Dartmouth Education Foundation is an endowed fund of the Community Foundation of Southeastern MA founded in 2007 by parents and citizens in Dartmouth concerned about the consequences of decreased public funding on the quality of education in the town’s public schools.

To find out more about the Teacher Grants Program and the Spelling Bee, visit defma.org.