Updated May 31, 10 a.m.
Marly Santora, the Komarek School eighth-grader who qualified for the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, was knocked out of the competition in the fourth round on the word freddo, the Italian word for cold.
Santora spelled the word “fredo,” ending her second run at the bee, which is held just outside Washington, D.C.
Komarek School eighth-grader Marly Santora has reached the semifinal round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, finishing in the top 50 after three preliminary rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday.
TV coverage of the semifinal rounds begins Thursday morning at 9 a.m. on ESPN2. The finals, featuring about 10 spellers, will air live on Thursday evening starting at 7 p.m. on ABC-TV.
Santora reached the National Spelling Bee for the second straight year in February when she won the suburban Cook County spelling bee.
In 2011, Santora fell just short of reaching the semifinals. However, this year after taking a written test on Tuesday and spelling two words correctly in the preliminary rounds on Wednesday – Barmecidal and elaborative – Santora earned a spot in the top 50 out of a field of 278.
