Forrest County District 5 Supervisor Terri Bell was dealt a familiar hand when she received the word “meniscus” in the final round of the inaugural Innova Prep Adult Spelling Bee, as her husband is scheduled this week to have surgery for a tear of that cartilage of his knee.
Spelling that word correctly led to her being crowned the first winner of that competition, which was held February 29 at the Saenger Theater on Forrest Street in downtown Hattiesburg.
“I come from a family where education was very important – my mother was an educator, may father served on the school board in Jones County, so education was always stressed to me in my family,” said Bell, who serves as board president. “I feel like Innova Prep really helps some children achieve goals who might not be able to do it in a normal classroom setting, so I think it was a great cause and I was glad I could be a part of it.”
The event, which was sponsored by William Carey University, served as a fundraiser for Innova Prep, formerly known as the TIDE School, or The Institute for Diverse Education. The school, which is located at 1000 Broadway Drive in Hattiesburg, is a K-12 non-public special purpose school for students with dyslexia, language disorders, anxiety, ADD, and other learning differences.
The spelling bee was put on with the help of Rhonda Hayden, owner of Kinda Gritty, a signature event planning organization based in Hattiesburg, after Innova Prep co-owner Steven Farrell approached Hayden about raising funds.
“They needed to let people know what the school was doing, and just really get their name out there in the community, and if I could help them do that,” Hayden said. “So I got back with him and asked about an adult spelling bee, where we get professionals in the community to get on stage and try to compete for the title of ‘Innova Prep Adult Spelling Bee Champion.’
“I told them that this was their way to get in front of the entire community, on a big platform, and use other professionals who already support their organization to use their platforms to let people know that Innova Prep exists and that it’s a resource in the community. So we set some financial goals, and we were able to exceed all of our goals (at the spelling bee), and we did it because we wanted to create awareness for children that have learning difficulties and let the community know that Innova Prep is a resource for those children.”
Contestants in the spelling bee had to make their way through several rounds, with the words becoming more difficult as the rounds advanced. Twenty participants took place in the contest.
“It really was a lot of fun,” Bell said. “Father Tommy (Conway, of St. Fabian Catholic Church) was there, and he had a lot of jokes, and (Southern Miss president) Joe Paul was there, and he had a lot of jokes.
“But it was really just for fun, and (the competition) really wasn’t anything any of us were taking seriously. We were just there to raise money for a good cause.”
Although officials don’t yet know the exact amount of the funds raised, Cadence Bank did give $50,000 toward the fundraiser.
“They did extremely well, and we’re pleased with the outcome of that event,” Bell said.
Innova Prep is aimed at providing a safe, co-educational learning environment that balances gifted education with remedial education while integrating social, emotional and behavioral support for the elementary, middle or high school student who may not fully express personal gifts and talents because of a specific learning disability or related health impairment.
“Kinda Gritty and Innova Prep already have plans to make (the spelling bee) an annual event,” Hayden said. “We will ask Terri Bell back as the first Innova Prep Spelling Bee champion to come back and defend her title, and we look forward to the friendly competition in 2025.”
