Bergen County Student Spells Words Correctly But Doesn't Advance At National Spelling Bee

Linda Kalna correctly spelled both words presented to her at the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Wednesday but failed to advance to the competition’s semifinals.

Kalna correctly spelled sumpsimus and issei in the competition’s third round but did not earn the 29 points needed to advance to the semifinals.

Kalna, 11, is a sixth grader at Hasbrouck Heights Middle School. Her favorite hobbies are watercolor painting, playing the flute, ballet dancing, and figure skating, her biography on the spelling bee’s homepage states. She likes to listen to read and listen to classical music in her spare time.

Kalna wants to become a doctor when she is older. The Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs sponsored her at the competition.

Katharine Wang is the only New Jersey student remaining in the competition. She and 48 other spellers will compete live on ESPN2 beginning at 10 a.m.; the finals will be aired at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Katharine Close was the last New Jersey student to win the bee. She won the bee in 2006 by correctly spelling ursprache, NJ.com reported, which is a language reconstructed from languages that came later.

The finals will be nationally televised live on ESPN Thursday night. The winner will get $35,000 in cash and other prizes.

(Pictured: Linda Kalna, 11, at the microphone at the Scripps National Spelling Bee/Courtesy of Scripps National Spelling Bee via Flickr)