Third grader Noah Hurt didn’t have anything up his sleeve or pull a rabbit out of a hat to become a champion speller. In fact, all he needed to do was correctly spell “trickster”, defined as a stage magician skilled in the use of illusion.
Hurt carefully dictated the spelling of the winning word and outlasted 13 other third, fourth, and fifth grade students to claim the championship trophy at the 2022 Senatobia Elementary School Spelling Bee on Thursday, Feb. 10.
“Math is my favorite subject, but I also read a lot. I think that really helps my spelling,” said Hurt, the son of Justin and Anna Hurt.
A straight-A student and constant on the Superintendent’s List, Hurt said some of his favorite books include the “Diary of Wimpy Kid” series and the “I Survived” series, which tells the stories of young people and their resilience and strength amid unimaginable disasters. He also enjoys playing baseball and basketball in his spare time.
Hurt and fellow third-grader Layne McDonald along with fourth-grader Max Tyson were the only students remaining after six rounds at the SES Spelling Bee. In round seven, Tyson misspelled “ordinary” while McDonald had trouble with “hull”.
Hurt took advantage of his opportunity by spelling “playlist” in the seventh round and “trickster” in the eighth and final round to claim the championship and earn a berth in the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. The date and location of the event will be released at a later date.
All contestants in the SES Spelling Bee received a certificate for participating.
