Only one Missourian has made the semifinals of the National Spelling Bee. She’s Elizabeth Platz of Shelbina, an 8th grade home-schooler who says her favorite book is Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. She also competed in last year’s Bee.
The other Missouri contestants fell by the wayside yesterday because they didn’t accumulate enough points in the written test and the two spell-off rounds.
Platz is one of 48 semifinalists. The event in Washington, D. C. began Wednesday with 273 contestants.
Finalists will be decided today with the winning spell-off tonight.
