Schools
National Spelling Bee Run Ends for ISU Sponsored Student
A Mount Vernon child who won a spelling bee at the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University fell short of the final round.
Written by: Tamika Smith and Michael Theis
Jeremy Ferguson's journey ended Wednesday at the 2012 SCRIPPS National Spelling Bee hosted in Prince George's County, MD. Ferguson, of Mount Vernon, was the winner of the Greenlee School of Journalism's state spelling bee in February.
After the three preliminary rounds of competition, Ferguson didn’t advance to the semifinals.
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In round 2, Ferguson correctly spelled cynosure. In round 3, Ferguson correctly spelled phraseology. However Ferguson must not have competed as well on a written test all participants took in a first round.
The first round had students take a computerized spelling test with 50 words, of which only 25 would be scored. Then, in the two live rounds, each speller had two chances to test their skills in front of a crowd of 500 audience members. A correctly spelled word in this round earned the contestants three points.
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Each contestant could earn up to 31 points. Once the preliminary rounds were over, spelling bee officials tallied and announced the results to the nervous children.
The semifinalists competition began 10 a.m. Thursday at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.
A previous story on Ferguson's success in the state spelling bee can be found on the Greenlee School of Journalism's website.
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