Twenty Ford Elementary fourth and fifth graders competed Thursday in the school's annual spelling bee.
After five rounds, fifth grader Jonathan Maldanado emerged as the top speller, said Jane Swanson, a specialist paraprofessional at Ford. The winning word was integral.
Fourth grader Debare Omonaiye finished second.
For Maldanado and Omonaiye, there is more practice ahead. Both students will compete at the district level.
All 20 finalists received a certificate of participation along with a coupon from Chick-fil-A. They also took pictures with the school's principal, Jami Frost.
Student Grade Teacher Kyle Lowe 4 Fillingim Evan Peterson 4 Fillingim Lexi Belcher 4 Mathis Garvin Pierre 4 Mathis Carson Charles 4 Micklow/Fritts Campbell Clark 4 Micklow/Fritts Debare Omonaiye 4 Miller/Kelly Hayden Doleys 4 Miller/Kelly Deepak Mattipalli 4 Varghese Anna Brown 4 Varghese Alex Colas 5 Goodall Lindsey Wei 5 Goodall Nick Bruno 5 Mitchell Caden Key 5 Mitchell Jaden Winston 5 Plunkert/Kappel Fideliah Cherident 5 Plunkert/Kappel Mason Babay 5 Strickland Matthew Hall 5 Strickland Jonathan Maldonado 5 Wiltshire Phillip Surratt 5 Wiltshire