Erin Howard, speller 93 and an Alabama eighth grader in fourth bee, was excited to get the word "oyez" this morning. It's sed by criers of courts as a command to secure silence and attention before a proclamation.
"Oyez," Erin said. "Actually, oh yay, I know this word!"
She spelled it correctly.
Erin finished in ninth place last year, seventh place in 2017 and tied for 22nd place in 2016.