Iris McDonnell, an eighth-grader at Oswego Middle School in New York, will head to the Scripps National Spelling Bee after outlasting 25 other competitors in the regional event. She's been waiting and studying for a long time. She competed at the regional level for three years in fourth through sixth grade. Her final two words were "intaglio" and "edelweiss." 

Photo credit: The Palladium-Times