Time to start practicing your spelling, kids - it's bee season.

School districts throughout North Idaho will hold spelling bees in January that qualify students for the North Idaho Spelling Bee, scheduled March 21 at North Idaho College. The winner of the regional bee will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in June, courtesy of bee sponsor, the Coeur d'Alene Press.

Students from 55 schools in 11 districts (including public, private and home-school students across the five northern counties of Idaho) are involved in this year's spelling bee, according to North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee Coordinator Mindy Patterson of NIC.

District spelling bees will finish in January in preparation for the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee at NIC in March.

District Bees:

Home-school District (North Idaho Home Educators Association and Inland Northwest Christian Home-schoolers)

10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 at Grace Bible Church, 152 W Prairie Ave., Coeur d'Alene

Boundary County School

11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12 (sixth through eighth grades) at Boundary County Middle School

9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 (fourth and fifth grade) at Free Methodist Church in Bonners Ferry

Kootenai School District

8:15 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 29 at respective schools

Lakeland School District

6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21 at Twin Lakes Elementary

West Bonner County School District

6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28 at Priest River Junior High

Lake Pend Oreille School District

6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21 at Twin Lakes Elementary

Kellogg School District

7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29 at Pinehurst Elementary School

Private School District

9:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 29 at North Idaho Christian School

St. Maries School District

9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30 at respective schools

Coeur d'Alene School District

6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29 at Coeur d'Alene High School

Wallace School District

12 noon Friday, Jan. 16 at Wallace Jr/Sr High School (seventh and eighth grades)

2:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29 at Silver Hills Elementary (fourth through sixth grades)

Information: (208) 769-3316.