MILWAUKEE — Despite the Milwaukee Public Schools Spelling Bee Finals being a competition, 8th grader Leyna Fehr says practicing involves a lot of teamwork.
“Because those kids are your friends and you want to work with them,” Leyna says. “For us, it didn’t really matter who own, we were just having a good time together.”
Leyna and her 4th-grade classmate Mili Koster both attend Maryland Avenue Montessori School. They say they’re learning how to be more confident.
“It’s kind of hard because if you stumble, there’s an entire auditorium watching you,” Mili says.
“You can’t really mumble!” Leyna adds. “You need to learn how to speak into the microphone properly and project your voice so everyone can hear it.”
Advisor Jenni Hofschulte says it’s important for kids to learn these skills outside of an athletic setting.
“We really value, as a core value of the school, honoring everybody’s abilities, wherever they’re at,” she says. “Letting the students lead with their interests. To have academic pursuits that allow kids to shine is a really valuable opportunity for them.”
And these students are shining. They’re learning everyday words – like chicken strips – and words you might hear in a science lab.
“Cumulonimbus! C-U-M-U-L-O-N-I-M-B-U-S, cumulonimbus!” Leyna spells.
All of those words require a lot of practice.
“There’s language rules, like the ‘I before e’ rule, but that doesn’t always apply,” Leyna says. “So you need to know which words these rules apply to and there’s lots of memorizing that goes on.”
And whatever happens during the finals, these spellers know they’ll feel good in the spotlight.
“Because you know these words that not everyone else knows, and you did good and you can spell them and you placed well,” Leyna says.
The final rounds of the Milwaukee Public School Spelling Bee featuring grades 6-8 are next weekend. Watch it all live on TMJ4.com!
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