Fifty-one champion spellers from Wisconsin’s public and private schools have qualified to compete on Saturday in the annual Badger State Spelling Bee, with the top two spellers advancing to the national competition.
The students, who are in fifth through eighth grades, each placed at or near the top of their regional spelling bees, which earned them a spot in the state competition. Spelling bees were held at the school, district and regional CESA levels over the winter.
The Badger State Spelling Bee will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday at the Mitby Theater, 3550 Anderson St., on the Madison Area Technical College campus.
The winner will earn a trip to National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 28.
The Wisconsin State Journal has been sponsoring the All-City and Badger State spelling bee competitions since 1949 as part of the newspaper’s commitment to education, literacy and community involvement.
Brad Williams, winner of the state bee in 1969 and current radio producer from the La Crosse area, will continue his more than 40-year tradition of pronouncing for the Badger State Spelling Bee.
The judging panel will consist of Meredith McGlone, communications manager for the Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring at UW-Madison; Dr. Susan Toth, retired general surgeon; and Celia Groff of technical communications at Epic.