As we here at MCAEL always say, summer is the perfect time to walk into the pinetum and enjoy nature. 

(There! We used the winning word in a sentence.)   

Thank you to all who came out to our 8th Annual Grown-Up Spelling Bee to Support English Language Learning in Montgomery County.  It was a great event, buzzing with excitement, drama, fun – and purpose.

Congratulations to our fabulous teams from Burness, Montgomery College, CareFirst, GBCC Next Execs, M&T Bank, MoCo360 – and to our winning team, BGE!

Congratulations also go to this year’s winners of the MCAEL People, Power & Potential Award: Yvonne Ellis and Emily Correll. Yvonne Ellis is the Volunteer Program Manager for Seneca Creek Church. Under her leadership, a program that began with 6 volunteer staff and 38 learners has grown to 26 volunteers that serve as many as 300 learners per year. Among the many other things that Yvonne has accomplished, she has also started a free child enrichment program, so childcare would not be a barrier for parents in the church’s ESOL classes.  

Our other award winner, Emily Correll, is an active volunteer with Christ Episcopal Church’s ESOL program. Emily has long been involved in the community, serving on the speakers' bureau of Montgomery History, and helping to start the National History Day program in Montgomery County.  

We'd like to extend a special thank you to our celebrity judges, Maryland State Delegate Lily Qi, Pedro Biaggi from La Nueva 87.7, and former NFL star Dexter Manley, as well as our emcee, Maureen Umeh of FOX5 DC, and co-pronouncers Dr. Robin C. Barr (Linguist-in-Residence, American University) and Karen Taylor de Cabellero (Co-Inventor, Color Vowel System). 

And to our amazing sponsors, we truly couldn’t have done it without you. THANK YOU. 

Montgomery College, BGE, Burness, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, MoCo360, M&T Bank, Lerch Early & Brewer, National Cooperative Bank, Advance Business Systems, Cambium, University of Shady Grove, Streamline Management, Saggar & Rosenberg, Tenleytown Lawn and Landscape, Stacy and Mark Parkinson, Joan Schaffer, Denise & Craig Pernick, and Alex & Catalina Parkinson
 

We can’t wait until next year! Bee there on April 16, 2024.