During the Seventh Annual Whitfield Education Foundation Celebrity Spelling Bee, Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) Vice President of Adult Education Lisa Shaw placed 11th out of 20 participants including community members from the greater Dalton area.

The group of educators, health care officials and business leaders met for dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday evening before the bee went underway at the Dalton Convention Center. The spelling bee raises money for the Whitfield Education Foundation (WEF) which raises money for the students and staff of Whitfield County Schools.

After surviving three rounds, Shaw was eliminated along with a handful of others during round four. The word she misspelled, ruefully, ended her bid for the title of champion speller of Dalton, however the GNTC vice president said she enjoyed the light hearted and fun competition.

“Ruefully, I concede I was not the top Celebrity Speller this evening,” Shaw said once it was all said and done. “I was honored to support the Whitfield Education Foundation and applaud their efforts to support teachers and education in Whitfield County. “

“What you are giving is opportunity,” Whitfield County Schools elementary school teacher Renee Griffin said to those gathered at the bee.

The spelling bee is one of several fundraising events the foundation puts on each year to raise money for local educators in Whitfield County. According to WEF President Joseph Farmer, the non-profit has raised over $800,000 to give to Whitfield County Schools over the past 29-years.