URSPRACHE spelled here!  That was the winning word as Katharine “Kerry’’ Close, an eighth grader at Spring Lake’s H.W. Mountz School, won the 79th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee last Thursday over 274 others. Kerry, who was sponsored by the Asbury Park Press and the Home News Tribune, defeated a Canadian contestant during the final eight suspenseful rounds, according to the Gannett News Service.  Along the way, she successfully spelled “recrementitious,” “psittacism,” “aubade,” “kanone,” “izzat,” “tmesis,” and “kundalini.”   (Visit www.m-w.com for definitions.)

“NJSBA congratulates Kerry for her impressive victory, and for her dedication and skills. She’s made all of us in New Jersey public education extremely proud,” said Edwina M. Lee, NJSBA executive director.