Onalaska student wins regional spelling bee

An Onalaska Middle School student wins the regional spelling bee for the La Crosse area this year, put on by CESA-4. 

Snigdha Rajamanuri was the last remaining speller from a field of 21 contestants in the CESA-4 finals on Thursday. 

She spelled “monocle” correctly to take 1st place.  Snigdha and four other local qualifiers will move on to the state finals in March.

The other finalists are Lydia Theodoropoulou and Matthew Rabindra, both from Aquinas Middle School, Sam Bakalars from Blessed Sacrament in La Crosse, and Aeron Hanson from Melrose-Mindoro Junior High. 

The spelling bee was conducted by Zoom, with bee officials in West Salem and the 21 spellers at their own schools or homes.   

The state spelling bee scheduled for March 20th would normally be held in Madison, but that contest also is expected to be held on-line, instead of in a single room.