The Scripps National Spelling Bee celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and former champions say the bee has changed their lives for the better because it taught them they can do hard things.

And like many former champions of the National Spelling Bee — which celebrates its 100th anniversary when it starts Tuesday at a convention center outside Washington — she says the ...

Joanne Lagatta arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 1995 with a flawless academic record and an achievement on her resumé that she didn’t like to talk about — but that no other undergrad… ...

Joanne Lagatta arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 1995 with a flawless academic record and an achievement on her resumé that she didn’t like to talk about — but that no other undergrad… ...

Joanne Lagatta arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 1995 with a flawless academic record and an achievement on her resumé that she didn’t like to talk about — but that no other undergrad… ...

Joanne Lagatta arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 1995 with a flawless academic record and an achievement on her resumé that she didn’t like to talk about — but that no other undergrad… ...

Lagatta, now 47, turned out fine. She’s a neonatologist at Children’s Wisconsin, a hospital in Milwaukee. And like many former champions of the National Spelling Bee — which celebrates its ...