Photo provided St. Mary's Central eighth grader Addie Jackson competes Tuesday in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, held in Washington D.C. Jackson was eliminated in the third round.

St. Mary Central eighth-grader Addie Jackson reached the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Tuesday in Washington D.C., but that’s where her path through the competition would end. Jackson was eliminated in the third round through a written test.

Jackson’s day began strong, sailing through the first two rounds to reach the written test portion. In the first round, she correctly spelled “pratique,” the clearance given an incoming ship by the health authority of a port. In the second round, she gave the correct definition of “carnage,” referring to bloodshed or slaughter.

The third round is a 30-question written test divided into two sections — spelling and vocabulary. A speller receives one point for each of the 24 words spelled correctly in the spelling section and one point for each of the six questions answered correctly in the multiple-choice vocabulary section, for a maximum of 30 points. Contestants must score at least 13 points to advance to Wednesday’s quarterfinal round.

Jackson was one of the 72 spellers eliminated in the third round. Ninety-five spellers moved on.

In her third year competing in the Belmont County Regional Spelling Bee, Jackson emerged from the 18-speller field to win the crown and the trip to Washington, D.C. She finished runner-up in the 2025 bee. Event sponsors were the Times Leader, Belmont Savings Banks, Uniglobe Travel, LED Executive Services, Wilson Funeral Home, Wilson Furniture, Ohio River Valley Elks, East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, Weaver’s Honey and Lendon Floral and Garden.