To bee or not to bee…

The aio Foundation says that’s not even a question. Spelling Bee season is just around the corner, and the Hawaii nonprofit is calling on schools to start enrolling for the upcoming contests.

Schools need to register by October 15 in order to conduct their school-level Bees. Winners and runners-up from those contests will then go on to participate in their respective district-level Bees next January. The statewide Spelling Bee is happening next March, and the national contest, which goes down in Washington, D.C., is happening in May.

The $120 registration fee buys each school a virtual “Bee-in-a-Box” — everything the school needs to conduct its school-level Bee. Forty schools have already signed up, and aio expects dozens more to join in. All schools — private and public — are invited to participate. 

A record 85 schools competed last Bee. 

Schools can go to www.SpellingBee.com to enroll. 

Photo: Students at the National Scripps Spelling Bee. (Courtesy of ScrippsBee via Flickr.)

— Alia Wong