Photos by Emma Burden

Story by Emma Burden

Jolene Radnoti, executive director of Read to Succeed, opened its 18th Annual Celebrity Spelling Bee by asking audience members “What is literacy?” For some, literacy is something literal, like books. For others, literacy is transformative. And, for a select group, literacy means volunteering their time to a spelling bee.

From city council members, to surgeons, to athletic directors, leaders in Rutherford County and the city of Murfreesboro joined together Friday night to promote youth and adult literacy. 

“The literacy rate in the United States is about 79 percent. About 79 percent of adults have English literacy skills,” Read to Succeed board member Romel McMurray said. “Look at your table. About 1 ½ individuals that are sitting there cannot read in the United States.”

“So, if you want to point to someone that you think can’t read …” McMurray trailed off, prompting the audience to erupt into laughter.

Community members and donors filled the audience at the spelling bee. Some tables were sponsored by local employers, such as Atmos, Nissan and Ingram. Though the setting was semi-formal, the ballroom at The View at The Fountains was lively, filled with hugs and chatter. 

At 7 p.m., the dinner buffet began to be squared away and mingling audience members found their seats. This year, 11 spellers took the stage. Two of the spellers, Connie Casha and Hans Malebranche, are MTSU employees. Casha is the early learning programs director at the MTSU College of Education, and Malebranche is the assistant athletic director and chief development officer for MTSU athletics. Other spellers include Jami K. Averwater, David Beaird, Derek Blake, Veronica M. Clark, Takisha Ferguson, Darren Gore, Mike Panesi, Ladawna Parham and Cathy Pressnell took the stage. 

The spelling bee began with simple words, such as contract and sterilize, but the difficulty quickly increased. 

“Basting? Is that a verb?” Malebranche said, asking if he had heard one of his words correctly. “Okay, now, what is a verb?”

Malebranche did spell basting correctly.

This year’s spelling bee was dedicated to teacher and former Read to Succeed employee Carolynn Kobiske, who died this spring from pancreatic cancer.

“She worked up until she found out she was sick,” Radnoti said. “She started tutoring with Read to Succeed in 2015. Within a year, she became an employee, and she started to be a coordinator for the adult literacy program. She said if she couldn’t teach while she was coordinating, she wasn’t going to work for us.”

Before the competition portion of the spelling bee began, a video tribute to Kobiske was broadcast, featuring learners and teachers from Read to Succeed.

In addition to hosting the Celebrity Spelling Bee and promoting and teaching literacy skills to youth and adults in Rutherford County, Read to Succeed also partners with Linebaugh Library for its yearly One Book program. With One Book, Read to Succeed selects a book that its staff feels is important, leaves the book for free at areas in the community and encourages and fosters discussion about the book between individuals in Rutherford County. It was announced Friday night that 2025’s One Book is “Infectious Generosity” by Chris Anderson.

The final round of the spelling bee came down to Murfreesboro city manager Darren Gore and Murfreesboro City Schools grades 3-6 reading coordinator Cathy Pressnell. Gore’s final two words were tricky — ichthyosaurs and mimicking, respectively. He spelled neither of them correctly. Pressnell stepped up to the challenge, correctly spelling residential before moving on to her final word.

As Pressnell finished spelling H-A-R-M-O-N-I-O-U-S, the audience clapped and cheered. Pressnell became the 18th winner of Read to Succeed’s Celebrity Spelling Bee. She was also the third Murfreesboro City Schools employee to win the bee. 

The Celebrity Spelling Bee is a fundraiser event for Read to Succeed. This year, its panel of spellers raised over $12,000, bringing the event’s total proceeds to over $60,000.

Emma Burden is a Reporter for MTSU Sidelines.

To contact the Lifestyles Editor, email [email protected].

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