Selma — Erin Parker, an eighth-grader at Meadow School, correctly spelled the word “existence” to win the 2008 Johnston County Spelling Bee. The event was held Thursday afternoon at Selma Elementary School.

Parker will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in late May. This is the first time the county winner will participate in the national competition.

The second-place winner was Archer Lodge Middle seventh-grader Roxanne Baker. The third-place winner was North Johnston Middle seventh-grader Chris Childers.

Looking forward to the national contest, Parker said she planned to “read the whole dictionary” between now and then.

Look for photos of the top-six finishers from the bee in Wednesday's print edition of The Herald.