Alice Liu, a sixth-grader from Crestview Middle School, stayed calm as she anticipated each word in the rounds of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Spelling Bee. She bested 49 other finalists to earn a return trip to the national finals. She was one of the top 15 in the finals last year and is working hard to return to the finals in 2018. Her winning word was "alcheringa."

Photo credit: Jon Gitchoff, St. Louis Post-Dispatch