BORDERLAND

Woodmore speller falls short of national semis

5/29/2014

Woodmore Elementary School sixth-grader Phoebe Jackson failed to reach the semifinals Wednesday in the National Spelling Bee in Washington.

Young Phoebe, 12, was among 281 contestants in the preliminary round of the contest. To advance to the semifinals, spellers took a computerized test that included a spelling section and a vocabulary section. There also were two more vocabulary questions and two oral spelling questions. Incorrect answers in the oral section or the latter two vocabulary questions eliminated a contestant.

She spelled both words correctly in the oral section and correctly answered both vocabulary questions. Only 46 contestants advanced to the semifinals based on their combined scores.

Young Phoebe earned her spot at the national competition by winning the 2014 Blade Northwest Ohio Championship Spelling Bee. The Blade paid for her trip to the National Spelling Bee.