Mary Horton (Speller 43) is decked out for the Bee.
She's wearing a bee necklace her aunt gave her and even got a manicure so her fingernails are black-and-yellow striped.
Mary, a West Melbourne, Florida eighth grader, is a Spelling Bee legacy. She's the third in her family to compete in the Bee. This is Mary's second year, though the first time she's made it to the finals; her brother Jonathan competed for three years - he tied for 6th in 2006 and 8th in 2007 - and her sister Deborah competed in 2009 and 2010.
"I've been going to the Bee since I was four years old," she said. "This is amazing."
She wasn't sure she'd make it to the finals.
No matter what happens, her mom said, the family is proud.
"If you get the words you know, you'll be good to go," Michelle Horton said.
Mary spelled "aetites" incorrectly in the latest round, and is out.
But her family will still celebrate her good work.
"We're going to go to Disney World!" Michelle Horton said. "We have season passes."
