SPRINGDALE — Brittany Chue admitted she was thrown off when the word “terrarium” was given to her during the Springdale School District’s spelling bee Friday.

“I didn’t know what that was,” the 14-year-old said later. “It was scary.”

After receiving a definition and an example of the word in a sentence, Brittany spelled it correctly. When her fellow finalist missed the next word, she spelled “turbulence” correctly to win the bee, held annually at Parson Hills Elementary School.

Brittany, an eighth-grader at Central Junior High School who wore a blue shirt prominently displaying the word “iPray,” outlasted 33 other contestants from across the district, including elementary and middle schools. Students who had finished first and second at each school spelling bee were invited to participate in Friday’s event.

The districtwide bee was a warm-up for the countywide bee, which Springdale will host Jan. 29 at Central. Only the first-place winners from each school are invited to the countywide bee.

Jax Nalley, a Young Elementary School fourth-grader, was the runner-up at the bee. Sojas Wagle, a Tyson Middle School sixth-grader, finished third.

Once it got down to the final three, each student lasted four rounds until Sojas missed the word “sporadic.” Shortly after that, Jax missed “sustenance,” setting up Brittany to spell the championship word.

Brittany, a native of Panama, moved to the United States about four years ago. She said she knew English before moving here.

She said she has a strong “visual memory” that helps her with her spelling. She has participated in two other spelling bees in the past, but Friday’s win was her first.

Asked how she’d celebrate, she said, “Maybe get ice cream.”

She received a small trophy.

Marsha Jones, an associate superintendent, served as announcer for the bee, a job she’s filled for many years.