RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Fourth-grader Curtis Ready from Mary Munford Elementary School was crowned winner of the Richmond Public Schools (RPS) City Wide Spelling Bee Thursday evening following 21 rounds of spelling. The RPS City Wide Spelling Bee was held in the evening on Thursday, Feb. 5, with 8N ews anchor Deanna Allbrittin as moderator. There were 31 spellers at the start who represented most of RPS, including the Richmond Virtual Academy. In the first round, every participant spelled their first word correctly, and no spellers were eliminated. By round five, there were only five spellers left, including last year's champion and last year's runner up. The final three spellers battled it out for seven rounds before the group funneled down to two spellers, and it took another eight rounds of spelling to crown a champion -- fourth-grader Curtis Ready from Mary Munford Elementary School. (Photo: Deanna Allbrittin/8News)(Photo: Deanna Allbrittin/8News)(Photo: Deanna Allbrittin/8News)(Photo: Deanna Allbrittin/8News) "Leviathan" reportedly stumped the runner-up. Ready correctly spelled "uvula," and then "Medusa." His win is reportedly a continuation of a family tradition, as his mother, Emmy Ready said she won the 1994 RPS district-wide spelling bee wearing the same shirt her son where when he won his school be and again on Thursday. ...read more read less