Spring is swarming season for bees, but that’s not the reason for an upcoming bee-related frenzy in North Haven. Coming up on Thursday, April 26 at North Haven High School (NHHS), it’s the fourth annual Adult Spelling Bee. Hosted by the North Haven Education Foundation (NHEF), the event features familiar faces—teachers, firefighters, town officials, and more—competing for the Best of the Hive trophy.

“It’s just a fun, town-wide event,” said Kathy Rocklin, event chairman for all four years. “Each year we try to make it bigger and better and tweak it, and continue to try and make it interesting.”

Rocklin introduced the idea to the North Haven Education Foundation after witnessing the success of the Wallingford Education Foundation’s Spelling Bee. Part of the event’s appeal is its lighthearted fun: Each team chooses a bee-related team name and costumes to match. Past teams included “The Powers That Bee” (a group of NHHS teachers) and a team of firefighters, “Bee Extinguished.”

“We’re very pleasantly surprised by the amount of participation from people in the town,” said Brian Coughlin, NHEF board member and president of North Haven Rotary. “We ask teams to come together. It could be people form the school, teachers, professionals from an office, the Republican or Democratic town committee, the Garden Club in town—it’s a nice team-building event for those businesses and people in town.”

Regardless of who takes home the trophy, it’s arguable that the students of North Haven are the true winners. Over the last 14 years, the NHEF has raised more than $600,000, supplementing the school budget and fulfilling teachers’ requests for ideas or projects that they want to implement. Funds from NHEF built science labs in all the town’s elementary schools, and last year sent local culinary students to Disneyland.

“That’s the reason for our existence—it all goes back to the schools,” said Rocklin, who noted that the Spelling Bee is the nonprofit’s main event. “Last year we raised just shy of $25,000.”

Admission is free—but a requested donation of $5 will help support NHEF’s mission.

This year’s event brings back time-tested MCs NHHS Principal Dr. Russell Dallai and Bernard Pellegrino, chairman of NHEF. But according to Rocklin, the highlight may be something new: A group of North Haven kindergarteners will kick off the event by singing the “Baby Bumblebee” song.

“They’ll steal the show will be my guess,” said Rocklin. “It’s just a sweet, fun, nice event.”

The event also includes free pizza donated by area restaurants, free desserts made by the high school’s Culinary Arts Department, and a chance to win a 50-inch television. About 300 to 400 people are expected to attend.

“It really brings the community together,” said Coughlin. “It’s all about helping kids.”

The North Haven Education Foundation’s 2018 Adult Spelling Bee is on Thursday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at North Haven High School, 221 Elm Street. Admission is free. For more information, visit nhedfoundation.org.