Move over fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. At Chapman School, it’s the fourth-graders that know how to use their A, B and C’s.

At the school spelling bee on Jan. 30, the top three finishers were fourth-grade students:

• First place: Kimberly Abbott;

• Second place: Andy Nelson; and

• Third place: Myah Monicken.

Nineteen students participated in grades 3-8. Judges were Linda Brady, special services teacher, and Gibby Bachiochi, a school aide.

Chapman’s spelling champion Kimberly Abbott said she put a lot of effort into the school’s spelling bee, studying at school during the day and at home with the help of her parents, Ryan and Heather.

This is her first year at Chapman. She and her family moved to the area from North Pole when her father became Anchor Point’s new dentist.

A lover of words and reading, Kimberly said she has picked up a few foreign words along the way and can toss out examples in Spanish and French. She also has begun work on a book.

Asked what it was about, her answer was that of a serious writer guarding her work-in-progress.

“I’m not going to tell you,” she said.

Kimberly will represent Chapman at the state spelling bee in Anchorage on Feb. 28. The state winner progresses to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., May 25-31.