What do the words “oink,” “toot,” “buzz,” “hiss,” “cuckoo,” “meow” and “honk” all have in common? Are ya stumped? Not surprised. I was too. And once I learned the connection, I couldn’t pronounce it.
But thankfully The T-Crossers from Currin Wuest Mielke Paul & Knapp, PLLC have a voluminous vocabulary and not only knew the meaning of the word, they could spell it! And that word is … “onomatopoeia”, which is defined as “the formation of a word, such as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.” In other words, the sound the clock makes is “cuckoo, cuckoo” and the sound becomes a word.
Ok, you must admit, this is fun, right? And that’s the premise of the very successful Rotary Spelling Bee, an annual event sponsored by The Rotary Club of East Montgomery County. Now in its 14th year, the Bee has grown to include 17 teams, 13 sponsors and many, many laughs. The event was held in The New Caney High School Cafeteria on Sept. 21, and raised close to $9,000 for EMCRC’s local students.
By the end of Round 10, only 4 teams remained – The Barbees from Lone Star College-Kingwood, Takin’ Care of Buzziness from New Caney ISD, The Queen Bees from the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County, and the T-Crossers. We’re told the word “nimiety” eliminated The Barbees, leaving the other three teams to battle for the coveted Bee Trophy. Then Rotary Club Moderator Jim Stubbs called out “onomatopoeia” and the T-Crossers were victorious.
Long time locals will remember the Spelling Bee hosted by Literacy Volunteers of America, led by the amazing Linda Ricketts (RC of Lake Conroe). All the local Rotary Clubs participated in heated competition, Mike McDougal was the MC, and the event was held at Lone Star College. EMCRC always had a team – and they were often winners. I could be wrong about this, but I believe the LVA Spelling Bee was the precursor to the EMCRC event. Linda left this world in January of 2015, but she left behind a legacy of book-loving Rotarians to carry the torch for her! Our congrats to EMCRC for keeping the flame burning brightly and for their continued achievements with this wonderful event. It’s A Beautiful Thing!
To learn more about Rotary contact Kris via email at KrisCommService@aol.com or text 713 825-0141. Also see the website and facebook pages of any of our local clubs, or the Rotary District 5910 website at www.rotary5910.org.
