7th-Grader Wins First Lower Shore Spelling Bee

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) -- A seventh-grader at Bennett Middle School in Salisbury has punched his ticket to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Khaled Mohamed, 13, won the Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday by correctly spelling "eulogy." He beat 50 elementary and middle school students in the first-ever regional spelling bee contested on Maryland's Lower Shore.

Khaled says he's "pumped up" about participating in the national competition, which starts May 28 at a convention center near Washington.

He says he practiced spelling for up to 4 hours a day over the past several weeks.

Grace Drehmer was the runner-up. She and Khaled dueled head-to-head for 20 minutes before she slipped up on the word "patel."

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