Wren Clinefelter, an Austin Public Schools eighth grader, and Maggie Bruns, an eighth grader from Blooming Prairie, participated in the Southeast Minnesota Final Spelling Bee, held Feb. 21 at the Southeast Service Cooperative in Rochester.

They were two of 12 students who participated in the final bee. They came from a 76 student-field representing 37 school districts who participated in two regional spelling bees on Feb. 7, coordinated by the SSC.

Thomas York of Rochester won the final bee and will advance to the national bee Washington D.C. this spring.