DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - A 13-year-old girl from Davie who became a well-known contestant at the Scripps National Spelling Bee finished in ninth place after she was eliminated from the prestigious competition.
Simone Kaplan, a student at St. Bonaventure Catholic School, competed alongside 564 other students from across the country.
The word that caused her elimination Thursday night was “tettigoniidae,” a family of long-horned grasshoppers.
As it turns out, Kaplan just missed winning the spelling bee. It ended in an unprecedented eight-way tie for first place after organizers ran out of challenging words.
The teen’s family, classmates and teacher had been cheering her on since she began to study for the spelling bee.
“You can see the school enthusiasm. They truly are rooting for her,” said teacher Ann Robbie. “She’s an inspiration to all of us. We watched her study throughout the year.”
“We couldn’t be happier or more proud. She is just a very loving and caring student,” said faculty member Dianne Jennings. “She was so composed. She was so on point. She was funny. She was just a thrill to watch.”
This is the third year that Kaplan took part in the competition, which took place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just south of Washington, D.C.
“I’m like totally happy for her, we were all totally proud here,” said friend and fellow classmate Javier Colon. “She’s already a winner. We’re super proud of her.”
Kaplan is already preparing for next year’s spelling bee, as she was said to have gone straight to studying with her coach as soon as the competition was over.
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