KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and School of Education will sponsor “Courtroom to Classroom” – a spelling bee for fourth and fifth-grade scholars from the Afrikan Centered Education Collegium Campus.

The 7th Annual Spelling Bee will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2011, in the E. E. “Tom” Thompson Courtroom in the School of Law, 500 E. 52nd St.

The spelling bee provides an opportunity for the students to visit a college campus. Each year a $1,000 scholarship awaits 60 scholar participants who ultimately enroll in UMKC’s School of Law. Kansas City Power & Light provides the first-place prize of a desktop computer, with Breman Anderson donating second and third-place prizes of laptop computers.

To date, 420 students have participated in the spelling bees. The students who participated in the first spelling bee were fourth graders and are now sophomores in high school.

The program was the idea of Breman Anderson and is underwritten by a partnership of the Afrikan Centered Education Task Force I, Kansas City Power & Light Company, UMKC School of Law, UMKC School of Education, UMKC Office of Admissions, UMKC Athletics, UMKC Advancement and area elected officials. This year Cindy Circo, Mayor ProTem, will present a Proclamation for the City of Kansas City.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.