Lena Greenberg, 14, of Chestnut Hill was one of nine spellers to advance to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday afternoon (via Philly.com).
Greenberg had no issues during the first three rounds of the Bee but then ran into catallactics (political economy as the science of exchanges), contrecoup (injury, as when the brain strikes the skull, occurring on the side of an organ opposite to the side on which a blow or impact is received), and cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) in the next three rounds. However, she correctly spelled all three words to make the finals for the first time.
The prizes up for grabs in the Bee are: $30,000 in cash, a $2,500 savings bond, a $5,000 scholarship, $2,600 of reference works, and an online language course. The Bee, which is now in its 85th year, takes place in Washington, D.C. The finals of the competition begin on Thursday at 8 p.m.
Greenberg missed out on the semifinals last year by one point.