University of Michigan
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

EEB graduate student Rachel Cable participated in The Second Annual Spelling Bee for Honest Cheaters, Dirty Rotten Spellers, and Mustachioed Heroes in Ypsilanti recently to raise funds for 826michigan.

826michigan is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students aged 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

Cable teamed up with doctoral students Dan Gershman and Ahmed Tawfik from U-M’s Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences. They wore space costumes from a previous series of science writing workshops that Gershman and Kristen Mihalka (U-M AOSS) created and implemented at 826. The spelling bee team, The James Webb Space Spelloscope, raised $595.

The spelling bee was hosted by poet Raymond McDaniel and featured Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber and author Steve Amick.

“It was a great event that raised over $10,000,” said EEB graduate student Susan Cheng. “The proceeds will be used to support the organization's free programs for students, which include tutoring, writing workshops, and other in-school programs. It wasn't your typical spelling bee, the words were really hard! Rachel and Dan had to spell mulct and foumart.”

Cheng recently volunteered at a writing workshop called Robot PI:The Case of the Forgetful Firefighter at 826michigan where she played a character the students interviewed to figure out who the guilty party was. EEB graduate student Alison Gould has participated in a writing workshop helping students write stories. Cable, Cheng and Gould plan to stay involved with the organization.