2 Chicago area girls advance to National Spelling Bee quarterfinals
CHICAGO (CBS) – Five rounds of the National Spelling Bee are in the books and 56 whiz kids remain, including two from the Chicago area.
They include Annette Chu, 13, a seventh grader from GEMS World Academy in Chicago. On Wednesday, she spelled "jocose" correctly to advance. The word means "playful or humorous," by the way.
But there was high drama for Chu who appeared to be eliminated in the sixth round, or so it seemed. That was until a stunning announcement from the judges at the end of the round in which they said her spelling was OK afterall.
Also, Daphne Gil, 14, an eighth grader from Alan B. Shepard Middle School in Vernon Hills advanced. She spelled "silentiary" to move on to the next round. "Silentiary" means "an advocate of silence, especially as a religious observance."
Both girls move on to the quarterfinals on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Chicago time.
