Elementary Spelling Bee champ Nayeli Martinez and runner-up Crystal Dang collect their trophies following the competition.
Nayeli Martinez, a fourth-grader at Morales Elementary, correctly spelled "alchemy" and "alcohol" back-to-back to claim the championship of the Elementary Spelling Bee on Tuesday at the Administration Building.
Martinez won first place in a marathon contest that went 19 rounds, an event record. She will move on to compete against intermediate school students next week.
Runner-up was Garfield fourth-grader Crystal Dang.
Carla Beames serves as coach and coordinator for the Morales Spelling Bee program. Diane Pine is coach and coordinator at Garfield.
Nayeli Martinez nervously twists her bracelet as she awaits final word from the judges on her spelling of the word "alcohol." Her response proved to be the correct one and earned her the Elementary Spelling Bee title.
