Marietta City Schools hosts its annual Spelling Bee, Friday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. at the MCS Administrative Offices located at 250 Howard St. The Marietta Education Association will once again sponsor the event.

“Students competing in the annual Spelling Bee are very often our top readers, and research shows that a child that is an avid reader and writer typically has stronger spelling skills,” said Dr. Debra McCracken, Assistant Superintendent Curriculum & Instruction, in a press release.

Each year students from each MCS elementary school, the Marietta Sixth Grade Academy and the Marietta Middle School compete for an opportunity to represent the school district at the Georgia Association of Educators District 2 spelling competition.

The objectives of the MCS Spelling Bee are to help students spell quickly and accurately, to promote students’ correct word usage in meaningful activities, to help students learn to compete and to provide an environment to promote students’ self-esteem, character development and sportsmanship.