Ben Bartemes, a 7th-grader at Queen of Angels Elementary School in Austin, will represent the school in the regional spelling bee, which will be held Feb. 26 in Rochester.
Bartemes was declared Queen of Angels' top speller after 16 rounds against nine competitors. David Wiebelhaus took second place, and Laura Enstad took third.
Four regional winners will advance to the state spelling bee March 26 at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. The state winner advances to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., May 26-June 1.
