MILWAUKEE - — Spelling is in the spotlight! Students in grades 3 through 10 from all over Milwaukee have been practicing, and now preliminary rounds of the MPS Spelling Bee are getting started.
ALBA's after-school spelling bee club is just two years old. Since October, every Wednesday, middle school students at ALBA have been meeting up and their spelling skills aren't the only thing improving.
"I got involved last year but I left due to anxiety and nervousness about not being able to spell the words right," admitted Aaron Martinez. "And this time I decided to stick to it and I'm still here," he added with a smile.
Aaron says his spelling has improved, and so has his confidence.
"I think it improved a lot because I went up in my standardized tests for English class, I also learned how to spell words I never thought I would be spelling."
Miss Veronica Ramirez started the club.
"I don't have children of my own, these are my children," she said looking at the group with a warm smile.
Each week that they've met to practice, the teacher's pride has grown.
"Being bilingual, a lot of them are scared, because they're stronger in Spanish than they are in English," she added. "I'm so proud of them, I'm really proud of them."
Juan Flores has learned a word he'll never forget.
"Never," he agreed solemnly.
Geranium — it knocked him out in the final round of last year's 7th-grade bee.
Now, a year wiser, he's nabbed first place among ALBA's 8th graders and the club will cheer him on as he advances in the MPS spelling bee.
"Hopefully I get the trophy this year," Juan said with a grin.
TMJ4 is once again a proud sponsor of the MPS district-wide spelling bee finals.
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