BRIEFLY

The room was a buzz with excitement Tuesday night when the school

board recognized Newport-Mesa’s spelling bee champions.

Winners from the fourth, fifth and sixth grades accepted plaques and

certificates for their victory over peers last month.

“It was kind of scary because I had been in a spelling bee before,”

said Brianne Schelin, the fourth grade winner who attends Mariners

Elementary School.

Andrew Watt, an Eastbluff Elementary fifth-grader who took first for

his grade level, said he was nervous despite it being his second year in

the competition.

By the sixth grade, Karyn Hay of Kaiser Elementary had it all figured

out -- and even shared her secret with any aspiring spellers.

“When you’re up there, try to spell the words slowly and you’ll be

successful,” she said. “If you try to spell quickly, you’ll stumble and

get them wrong.”