The Wisconsin State Journal first sponsored a state spelling bee in 1949. According to Wisconsin State Bee Director Rhonda Reese, the paper became involved because of the journalistic traditions that emphasize spelling, grammar and education.
After hosting a spelling bee for two-thirds of a century, you could understand if the Wisconsin State Journal was reluctant to change anything about its spelling bee program. And yet, in the past two years, the Badger State Spelling Bee has adopted two new rules that have improved the quality of the competition.
First, the Wisconsin State Journal jumped on board when the Scripps National Spelling Bee added vocabulary to the competition a couple of years ago.
"The Wisconsin State Journal values education and the spelling bee is a perfect fit," Reese said. "We especially like the change in format by adding vocabulary as this really shows kids the meaning and use of these words versus just memorization."
The second big change will take place this year, when-for
the first time ever-the Wisconsin State
Journal will send the top three students to the Scripps National Spelling
Bee instead of just one. This change allows more students to experience the
joys of traveling to Washington, D.C.
That's not to say the road will be easy. With more than 600 schools participating throughout the state, spellers must first win their school bee, then compete in one of 13 district bees (12 districts plus the Madison All-City Bee). The top 48 spellers advance to the Badger State Spelling Bee, where the official pronouncer is former state champion Brad Williamson.
Reese knows that the three students to advance to D.C. will enjoy their trip.
"I have been at the Scripps National Spelling Bee the past two years and absolutely love it," Reese said. "You can just feel the excitement in the air and just seeing all the kids having fun is great. It's a fantastic program and I would encourage anyone to come out to the final and watch. It's exhilarating."