WAUWATOSA, Wis. — A local family is sharing their love of spelling across generations.
Dr. Joanne Lagatta won the Scripps National Spelling Bee back in 1991. More than three decades later, she will be taking her family from their home in Wauwatosa to Washington D.C. for the first time, with a few aspiring spellers in tow.
She is now a Neonatologist for Children's Wisconsin Hospital. TMJ4 spoke with her about her career in 2017. To this day, Lagatta said her spelling practice as a kid helped her learn the memorization skills needed to succeed in medical school.
Nowadays, she is back in the hot seat, helping her kids and their classmates to study and prep for spelling competitions.
"They're very smart kids," Dr. Lagatta said. "They're very good spellers, but it takes both that and some bravery to be able to stand up and do it yourself —Read. Learn about the world. Learn about yourself. Have patience. Take risks."
Her daughter Natalie Bieberitz is in fifth grade and has already made it pretty far in the Bee. She just missed out on qualifying for the state tournament, one level below the national competition, earlier this school year.
"My family always went as a family and celebrated in Washington D.C. as a family," Dr. Lagatta said. "Just being able to be in that environment is absolutely worth it."
Watch: Wisconsin's only Spelling Bee champion is helping train the next generation
Natalie, along with her younger twin siblings Lanie and Jake, got to travel to Washington D.C. to attend this year's finals. It's a trip all three hope to make again someday, if and when one of them makes it to Bee Week themselves.
"I'm excited to see all the spelling bee stuff," Natalie said. "I'm excited to see all the museums."
The finals of the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee will take place Thursday.
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