WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP | Coach Jill Stefanski could not but beam.

Her Cooks Corners Elementary School team had just taken first place in regional Academic Spell Bowl competition at Washington Township Elementary School on Thursday.

"Just look at them," Stefanski said as the group gathered -- beaming themselves -- for pictures below a large 51, their number of correctly spelled words. "They're a wonderful group of kids."

The top spot was well deserved, Stefanski said, because of the team's dedication and support of each other.

Finishing second was Central Elementary, which spelled 50 of 56 words correctly. Morgan Township Elementary and Northview Elementary each had 49. Morgan was awarded third place based on tiebreaker words.

As the only entries in their class of school at Thursday's competition, Westchester Intermediate and Flint Lake Elementary School also took first-place finishes.

Thomas Jefferson Elementary's team shirts read, "Eat. Sleep. Spell." And one fan of the Memorial Elementary team coached by Beth Keller waved a sign reading "Keller's Stellar Spellers" from the audience.

Competition words ranged from the mundane "you're" to the cosmopolitan "Lhasa apso," and the odd "fossiliferous" to the in-take-of-breath-inducing "phosphorescence."

Cooks Corners team member Alexis Ferngren said she was nervous and her pencil was shaking, but she spelled a perfect round.

She attributed her success to lots of practice with her parents -- "Kind of" good spellers, she said -- and lots of time with books.

"I read a lot, I guess. Mostly big chapter books, like Harry Potters and stuff," she said.

The event was one of 20 regional competitions around the state.

Statewide results will be posted at noon today at iasp.org.