The “Library Bookies,” with NESFA’s Gay Ellen Dennett (center) and non-fans Rose Doherty and Lindsey Kiser, survived a 30-minute duel with the Needham Democratic Town Committee team to win the Needham Education Foundation’s 18th Annual Spelling Bee. They triumphed by correctly spelling “formicivorous,” an adjective that means “ant-eating.”

It was the first win ever for the “Library Bookies,” a team that has competed in every Spelling Bee since the beginning (a team by that name, not the same team members). Each year the NEF’s “Library Bookies” team is composed of a trustee, a staff member, and a member of the supporting Friends group. Adding Lindsey Kiser (right) this year may have helped, because her teams have won the Spelling Bee at least seven times.