Matthew Phillips wins Mupu School Spelling Bee

Fifth grader Matthew Phillips was the winner of the Mupu School Spelling Bee.  Eighth grader Corey Arana was the runner-up.  Students from second grade through eighth grade competed in their classrooms to qualify for the school finals.   The school-wide bee took 16 rounds to determine the school winner from the 33 classroom finalists.  School superintendent Jeanine Gore was the pronouncer.  Many parents and family members came to support the students. 

 Matthew is the son of Tressa and Matthew Phillips.  This was his third year competing in the spelling bee.  He usually works on spelling by himself, and enjoys reading mystery and action books.  He is 11 years old, and likes to ride bikes.  He does not watch much TV, but enjoys working on the computer.  Matthew has been a student at Mupu School since 2nd grade.  Matthew has a good sense of humor, and is very decisive.  His teacher is Mrs. Winder.  His winning word was mackerel.

 Eighth grader Corey Arana has attended Mupu School since kindergarten.  He is the son of Lucie Arana and Manuel Arana.  Corey likes to play video games and has been in the Spelling Bee for 3 years.  Like Matthew, Corey is a natural speller and did not study the words on the Spelling Bee list.