MILWAUKEE — This winter, 46 schools from around MPS are hosting spelling bees, and the winners from those competitions will participate in the district-wide bee in April.
On Wednesday, TMJ4 reporter Brendyn Jones attended the bee at U.S. Grant School on the city's south side.
There were separate competitions for each grade from third to eighth.
"I usually practiced in front of my mom a little bit, and then I practiced alone in my room sometimes too," said Donna Utrera, a fourth grader who took home third place.
Teachers at Grant say the bee allows students to practice studying skills and enhance their academic performance.
Watch: Grant School spellers compete for spots in the MPS district-wide bee
"It also gives them a lot of public speaking skills," said Michelle Larson, an academic coach at Grant. "A lot of kids, younger on, don’t get this opportunity to stand up in front of an audience and do whatever it is they’re doing."
Mohamad Juber Bin Mohammad Jafar won the fourth-grade competition on the word "continents."
He will represent Grant's fourth-grade class in the district-wide spelling bee in April.
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