Southeast Fresno 5th grader proves she is one of Fresno Unified's top spellers

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Close to 60 students were whittled down to just one at Tuesday's Fresno Unified Spelling Bee.

The top spellers from 19 of the district's campuses were represented at the morning's competition at Sunnyside High School.

For four rounds, ABC30's Veronica Miracle had the tough task of serving as the Spell Master.

One by one, the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students took their turn at the podium. A few took their time and one even dropped the mic before providing his answer.

Students who spelled their words incorrectly were eliminated immediately.

In the end, Charleen Her from Storey Elementary won by spelling the word malleable correctly. She and Sonia Hugues from Fremont Elementary will move on to the Fresno County spell off at Fresno State next month. From there, the top three champions will move on to the state competition in Stockton in May.