Education

School spelling champs around the region will compete on Thursday to qualify for state finals

Published

1 month ago

February 12, 2025

The football season may be over, but other competitions are happening at schools around the region. Many of them academic contests, such as the CESA-4 regional spelling bee, taking place Thursday in West Salem. The CESA, Cooperative Educational Service Agency, organizes bees around the state, in partnership with the Wisconsin State Journal. The contestants can qualify up through the eighth grade.

FILE: The top 5 spellers in the 2024 regional bee advanced to the state bee.

More than 20 students from La Crosse area elementary and middle schools will face each other, for the chance to participate in the state finals March 29th in Madison. Traditionally, five spellers from the local CESA district advance from this regional to the state contest. Three times in the last four years, students from Onalaska Middle School have finished first in the West Salem bee.

Last year’s top 5 in the regional represented schools from Onalaska, Holmen, and Cochrane-Fountain City.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.