Kiana Lacroix's national spelling bee run ended earlier this week, just short of the semifinal rounds.

The Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy seventh-grader represented North Idaho in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Although Kiana, 13, didn't win the bee, she did North Idaho proud.

"Kiana was confident and clear on stage," wrote Kiana's mom, Theresa DeWit, in a message to The Press. "She just didn't have a high enough score in the written round to move on to the semifinals."

Kiana was among 281 top spellers from throughout the nation and around the globe. Just 46 of those contestants made it through to the semifinals.

"Our girl is a terrific sport! No tears. Slightly disappointed, but not defeated," DeWit wrote.

To qualify for the Scripps national bee, Kiana won the North Idaho regional spelling bee earlier this spring.

The regional bee is hosted and coordinated by North Idaho College and sponsored by The Coeur d'Alene Press. Each year, The Press provides the regional winner with an all-expense-paid trip to compete in the national spelling bee.

For the first time in its 52-year existence, the Scripps National Spelling Bee was a tie. The winners were Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, N.Y., and Ansun Sujoe of Fort Worth, Texas.