Durham fourth grader falls short in Scripps Spelling Bee, but shines on national stage

Durham master speller, Frank Dumas IV, is out of the 2022 Scripps Spelling Bee. However, it's not stopping his excitement.

The fourth grader from Bethesda Elementary is the only student from the Triangle to compete.

"I feel proud of myself but I'm kind of disappointed that I got out," said Dumas.

While he didn't move on in the early round, Dumas said he's staying in Washington, D.C., to support his fellow spellers.

"The finals are [Thursday] so I'm going to watch it. There are 12 finalist," said Dumas.

The word that stumped Dumas was embouchure, which means the way a musician puts their mouth to the mouthpiece of an instrument.

Dumas said he plans to try again next year to compete in the competition.