Three local and area students — two from Austin and one from Grand Meadow — will compete in the state spelling bee finals on at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Wood Lake Meeting Center in Rochester.

The grand champion will advance to the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. on May 27-June 1.

Caden Strampe, an eighth grader from Ellis Middle School, Neha Thawani Nanda, a seventh grader from Pacelli, and Ava Rech, a seventh grader from Grand Meadow, will be among the 12 competing in the final bee.

Two regional spelling bees were held on Feb. 13 and the 12 — six from each bee — were the winners among the 75 who participated from 35 school districts in southeast Minnesota.

Other finalists are from the Chatfield, Northfield, Red Wing, Rochester, Spring Grove and Wabasha’s St. Felix School.

The regional competitions were coordinated by the Southeast Service Cooperative.