Scripps National Spelling Bee: 2 Florida teens make quarterfinals

Congratulations to two Southwest Florida middle schoolers who represented our region at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Eighth graders Luke Brown from North Naples Middle School and Lizzy Beers from Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts made it to Wednesday’s spelling bee quarterfinals.

Both spelled out valiant efforts but were eliminated after encountering some advanced bits of vocabulary: Luke misspelled “tonette,” while Lizzy misspelled “baroreceptor.”

According to the students’ bios on the Scripps website, Luke is president of the National Junior Honor Society and aspires to someday become a sports agent or journalist.

Lizzy is currently the 8th grade Student Council President and recently placed first in Lee County for her history fair paper on women’s rights and equality.

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