LI boy fails to advance in spelling bee

Long Island's best-spelling Dean Creedon did not advance Wednesday to the semifinals at the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The Oceanside fifth-grader gave a half smile after sailing through his two onstage spelling challenges Wednesday -- "filasse" and "thurification" -- but did not score high enough on Tuesday's 50-word written test. In a field of 278 contestants, that knocked him out of the running for the 50 semifinalist spots.

"I think it came as a shock to him," said his mother, Corinna, a financial consultant.

Still, his mother said, she's proud of her oldest of four boys and even learned something about him as he stood on a huge stage under lights, television cameras and about 1,200 people in a Maryland convention center, just outside Washington, D.C.

"He has such a poise about him and quiet confidence," Creedon said. "I think he has a little of the ham in him."

The 10-year-old's spirits bounced back by mid-evening as the avid reader played with his Kindle, Creedon said.

In March, Dean correctly spelled "mordacious" to take the 2012 Hofstra Long Island Regional Scripps Spelling Bee crown over 103 Long Island spellers.

The national spelling bee experience has been far from a letdown for the boy, Creedon said. Dean is excited about seeing the spy museum in Washington, D.C., and visiting the White House with his parents, his three brothers and his grandmother.

But even more, his mother said, he'll treasure the studying done with his father, Shawn, an attorney at a hedge fund bank.

"He said the best part of this experience was working with his dad," his mother said, "and finding one more thing they had in common."